5am I have water and it's straight into my daily 20-minute stretching and exercise routine. As I have got older I've become religious about it – it's great for maintaining suppleness and muscle mass. I suffer from neck ache after taking up drumming 13 years ago, and this helps. I do 100 press-ups – two sets of 40 and one of 20. Followed by 50 sit-ups, 20 squats and a kind of manic yoga routine I made up, that leaves me out of breath.
Like most things in life, the simple solution is the most effective and I like to get on with it without going to a gym or waiting for a personal trainer.
5.30am Breakfast is this bircher muesli concoction – ridiculously healthy but tasty. A mix of low sugar muesli, bran, nuts (Brazil, walnuts and almonds) and seeds (flax, sunflower, and pumpkin) set with cinnamon and live yogurt. I'll have decaf coffee.
1pm I'll often eat my main meal at lunchtime. This typically would be an organic veg (grown in the garden) soup. If I have a working lunch out it will be grilled fish with steamed spinach or salad. I would love pudding but will instead ask for a selection of lower-sugar fruit such as berries.
3pm I'm rarely in the office but if I need a snack then I like miso soup and some raw veg or a pear. Later I have decaf tea and a biscuit.
8pm Dinner will be light if I'm at home with my wife, Rosie, and it could be veg soup again sprinkled with Parmesan. If eating out I'll try and stick to grilled fish and vegetables and very occasionally a grass-fed steak.
I love food and have a sweet tooth, so really have to work to keep the weight stable. My father died at 60 so that’s a constant reminder to look after myself.
Rosie is very health-conscious and keeps me in line, and I’m reasonably good at compartmentalising my life and eating well on a working day – though I’ll relax the reins on weekends and holidays. We enjoy a Sunday roast and I don’t know much about wine but I’ll enjoy a glass of light red, if eating out, preceded by a whiskey –Irish of course, I love a Jameson with a cube of ice. I’ll rarely have more than one.
Midnight I don't snack in the evening as I base my diet on The Fast 800 book by Dr Michael Mosley, which recommends time-restricted eating – that is, early or no supper. I pack as much as I can into the day – everything is written down on a piece of paper and ticked off as it's accomplished and ,if not ,carried forth to the next day and all emails replied to if I can. Once that's done I fall asleep easily.
THE VERDICT
Dr Conor Kerley, dietetics consultant and lecturer
Breakfast This bircher muesli is full of goodness – whole grains for energy, fibre and B-vitamins, nuts and seeds for protein, fibre and healthy fats and live yogurt for protein, calcium and probiotics. Exercising at home is an effective and cheap way to maintain fitness.
Lunch and dinner Remember to include oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel, which contain omega 3 which deliver lots of benefits. Julian opts for berries, but fruits higher in sugar are good too. Miso soup is derived from soy and has been linked with good health.
Tips Julian has a packed day and often relies a lot on soups, which don't offer enough energy and protein – he could add some pulses to the vegetable soup and supplement with wholemeal bread. He also needs more variety in his diet overall to ensure a wider range of nutrients.
My Daily Diet series
- Bryan Dobson
- Helen Steele
- Jonathan Forbes
- Mike Ross
- Sean Rainbird
- Hanif Kureishi
- Nuala McGovern
- Ellen Cranitch
- Ian Marber
- Caroline O'Donoghue
- Sue Rynhart
- Garvan Rigby
- Julian Richer
