NRL and boxing giant Paul Gallen reveals his daily health and wellness routine

Chief executives, leading sports stars and media personalities have never been more aware of what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle. After all, they’re among some of the busiest people in the country.

These days, it’s all about self-care, balancing peak performance with the mental load – and making sure we all get those precious eight hours. But is a regular gym session, a coastal walk or an ocean swim enough? 

We asked Australia’s leading personalities about the routines and habits that support them in being the best at their game.

He’s a man who needs no introduction (but we’ll do it anyway).

NRL giant, State of Origin legend, maiden premiership-winning captain, crossover boxing star: Paul Gallen is one of Australia’s most enduring professional athletes. 

He played out a 19-year career with the Cronulla Sharks, killing the club’s 49-year title drought when he captained the team to its 2016 premiership, and led the Blues to victory in an Origin series that ended the Maroons’ eight-year winning streak. 

Gal was one of the oldest playing members of the league when he called time on his NRL career in 2019, selling out Shark Park in his final home game. But his sporting career was far from over − he’d already started the transition to boxing.

Now, the 45-year-old is slated to come out of boxing retirement to fight NRL enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona. With the gloves back on and regular stints on Nine’s 100% Footy, Sports Sunday and The Sunday Footy Show, good health is a non-negotiable for the 45-year-old. 

But what does good health actually look like to one of the country’s most active stars? Well, we pinned him down for a chat to find out for ourselves.

Alrighty, Gal, the first question is simple: What is the habit or morning routine that sets you up for a successful day?

Every morning when I get up, I have about four or five glasses of water, a teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of creatine. Then I have a little glass of juice, whether it be orange juice or apple juice, whatever’s in the fridge.

Salt?! What’s behind that? 

You dehydrate overnight a little bit, so the salt helps me hydrate, and I probably started taking creatine daily about three years ago.

And what about at night: Do you have a ritual that guarantees a good night’s sleep?

I’m in bed by 9.30pm every night. I fall asleep OK, but I don’t sleep through the night. I don’t sleep much longer than three to four hours straight. Sleep is so important, and I’m lucky enough that I don’t have to get up that early most of the time. As long as I’m up by 8.30am, so I can take the kids to school by 9am, I’m good. 

Is there anything that helps you get back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night?

No, there’s nothing I do during the night to go back to sleep. That’s, for some reason, my thinking time … I don’t do a lot of thinking during the day, I find I keep myself pretty busy, so I don’t have a lot of time to sit down and think about what’s going on. So I find when I go to bed, that’s my thinking time.

For the past couple of years, I have started taking magnesium before I go to bed. It’s good for your muscles and helps with recovery. I don’t know whether it’s placebo or not, but I feel like it relaxes me.

We can imagine being as active and busy as you are, food is a big part of your routine. What’s your go-to lazy meal or snack when you need to stay fuelled but don’t have the time or energy to cook?

Probably pizza. Back when I was playing footy, you’d have to probably concentrate a bit more on carbs. I feel pizza’s a decent cheat meal, so to speak.

Oh, what’s your order? 

I gotta say I can’t go past ham and pineapple, but if I’m feeling a little bit, I suppose, exotic, I’ll just get a chicken pizza. That’s not really that exotic, is it?

But a ham and pineapple or chicken pizza is good enough for me. Now, let me tell you, I often hear people saying pineapple does not belong on pizza. Ham and pineapple, how can you get past it?

Any places you particularly like to get your pizza from? 

Crust. 

OK, over to the workouts: If you have only 15 minutes in a day to be active now, what kind of movement or workout do you try to get in?

Deadlifts. If I only had one movement to do, whole body deadlifts. 

Dare we ask what you’re deadlifting?

Oh look, it was a lot bigger when I was playing footy, but at the moment, if I can get anywhere [between] 160kg to 180kg, [that] is okay. But my best-ever is 243kg.

Are there any tasks in your life that you’ve automated or outsourced to save brain power?

I don’t want to say my wife because I don’t want to sound like it’s sexist, but, honestly, I would be lost about my wife. She is an angel, and she won’t love me talking about her. She refuses to get involved behind the camera or in front of the camera. She hates the limelight [because] she’s very shy. But she does a fair bit for me. I can honestly say if I didn’t have her, I’d be lost.

Obviously, you have an incredibly like full-on work life. Have you got any boundaries that you’ve set in your career professionally that have helped you manage your own stress?

Back when I was playing footy [or] whenever I had an event, for two days prior I didn’t read the papers. That’s one thing I don’t do. I don’t read papers. I wouldn’t touch social media [either]. I wasn’t reading anything positive or negative towards me.

What about now? 

Social media is a bit of a big one for me. Unfortunately, because of who I am, what I am, what I’ve done, people still talk bad about me on social media. At the end of the day, the opinions that matter are the opinions that [belong to] my immediate family and closest friends. 

We get [hung up] on what other people think of us. I don’t really think we need to, but unfortunately, we all do. I’m not immune [to it]. Definitely staying away from social media is a big one for me.

If there was one habit you could make room for in your routine, what would it be? 

Sauna every night. I’ve been actually going down to the Sharkies a little bit lately because I was preparing for the marathon, doing ice baths and saunas, and I definitely feel that after a sauna I sleep better. 

I don’t know if it’s true or not, but if I had a sauna in my house where I could just jump into [it for] 15 minutes, jump in the quick shower for five seconds before I went to bed, I reckon that’d be pretty cool.

Last question, Gal: If you could get every Aussie to try one habit that you think makes your life that little bit better, makes you perform that a little bit better. What would it be?

I suppose positive affirmations.

I’ve had an unwavering confidence in myself, and haven’t had to rely on others. I don’t think I could ever rely on others. And I think that’s where I’ve got through. So whether that’s saying positive affirmations to yourself… self belief, that’s the number one thing for me.