TIM FRANKLIN

The actor who played police officer Colby Thorne on Home And Away reveals why meditation is his daily essential

Do you get your five a day?

Listen, I give it a red-hot go, but I think my average is about three. Broccoli is my boy, little grilled eggplant parmi is delicious, honey and cinnamon carrots is also one of my specialty side dishes.

Have you ever dieted?

I have. For different roles and for personal goals, it’s always fun to challenge your self control. I went full keto once, a lot of people tell me it makes you feel lighter and more energised, and it did but mainly it just made me feel hungry. I just finished up on a World War II film and I had a certain goal in mind for that as those guys were living off very little. So to help me feel more authentic, I wanted to achieve some sort of physical change for it so I did a lot of training and they set out a dietary goal for me and to be honest it was probably healthier than what I was eating anyway. It forced me to eat a lot more greens and fruit and vegetables and more lean meats. I always feel so much better doing that.

Sleep or sex?

Sleep is always coming in second. No matter the wake-up time.

What is your absolute blowout meal?

Southern fried chicken burger and a mountain of chips.

Have you had any operations?

No, touch wood.

Biggest health mistake?

Not meditating regularly enough. Giving yourself that time to simply sit and breath and check in with yourself is essential. It really helps me not to get tangled up in the chaos of the day. It is something that just sneaks up on me – I’ll be going about my day and something will frustrate me or I will keep replaying an idea in my head of how something went. I won’t let that idea or thought ruin my life. My best friend is clinically depressed so it is something that we all deal with daily and need to be aware of.

What regular vitamins do you take?

Vitamin D from the sun.

Health advice you would’ve given yourself 10 years ago?

Surf, swim, meditate and hike, Tim! Do what you love and do it as often as you can. The way I want to exercise and do things now is to just do something enjoyable, whether it is surfing or swimming. Exercise can be such a strained and daunting thing so you have to set realistic goals. Smaller goals that are achievable would be my best advice to myself.