Gabby Logan: Beef fat is great for the skin

1. Wake up before the rest of your family

I set my alarm for 6.30am, although it’s glorious to wake up naturally 10 minutes before. My body doesn’t seem to need more than seven hours of sleep. I’m the early riser at home. My husband, Kenny, might dispute this, but he’s very good at falling back to sleep and having a nice snooze on weekends until midday. Even if I get in from work at 3am, I can’t sleep beyond 10.

2. Don’t reach for your phone first thing

I’m out of bed quickly and I’m really against looking at my phone in bed. We used to charge phones outside of the bedroom, but they’ve crept back as I rely on it for my alarm. I work away a lot for work – last week I was in six different hotels – so my phone helps me remember which city I’m in. I can often wake up for the loo at night, forgetting where I am.

3. Start the day drinking water… and then coffee

I take a pint of water to bed every night, and if I haven’t drunk it by morning I’ll finish that to start the day hydrated. Then, coffee. I know experts say to wait an hour after waking before caffeine, but I only ever manage 45 minutes. As soon as the dogs hear that “clunk” of a pod in the Nespresso machine they get excited knowing breakfast is coming. At work I’ll drink skinny flat whites, tea and occasionally hot water and lemon.

4. Lay out exercise clothes the night before

Most days start with exercise, scheduled in my diary to make myself commit to it. I lay out clothes the night before so I can pull them on quickly. For five days a week my training might be reformer Pilates, a run or lifting weights. I like to get it out of the way, because if I’m having hair and make-up done later on, I don’t want to mess it up by getting sweaty. My hair is naturally very curly, so it takes 20 minutes to blow-dry. I’m always envious of people with straight hair.

5. Make yogurt your go-to breakfast

Apart from a handful of nuts (brilliant for women of my age to snack on the go), I don’t eat breakfast until after exercise. My quick breakfast is Greek yogurt with mixed seeds, nuts and frozen berries. We used to get through pounds of fruit when the children were at home, but since they’ve left I hate seeing fruit go to waste. Buying frozen cherries, strawberries and raspberries has been a revelation. I add them to yogurt or throw them into a blender with some protein powder, which takes me through to lunchtime. On non-working days, Kenny and I cook eggs and maybe some spinach and fish.

6. Schedule in relaxation time

I like working with the same reliable people who know my routine and how long I like to be somewhere ahead of events. My work schedule looks daunting sometimes, with recording my podcast The Midpoint and filming television shows.

Recently I’d worked seven weeks in a row without a break, so I planned a whole Wednesday off to myself. Of course, I was still busy. That’s me. But I managed a long lunch with a good friend, a work-out, and a huge declutter packing up six boxes of all the kids’ old books for a charity called Books for Africa. I laughed to Kenny that my good deed had taken up three hours, but it was cathartic.

7. Tinned fish makes the perfect healthy lunch

I might make a salad, soup or have tuna on a piece of rye toast with some tomatoes chopped on top, salt and pepper. Canned fish is such a great larder staple; sardines on toast is a favourite. I’m the more confident cook; Kenny’s talent lies elsewhere – but if I’m working, Kenny makes lunch, maybe noodles with vegetables such as spinach and mushrooms. Because we’re both health-conscious, we know what the other likes to eat.

8. Beef fat is great for skin

Kenny extols the virtues of something called tallow, which contains beef fat and heals scars (useful for rugby players). He’s got great skin, so I tried it too. They’ve added a nice fragrance though, so we don’t go to bed smelling of beef!

When I was a child and lived in Canada, I remember my mum started using a skincare regime called Metrin, which no one’s ever heard of, but I’ve used it since I was a teenager. Mum still imports it to the UK. I’m very lucky in my work I get sent lots of interesting products to try, and I’ve noticed my skin is drier with age, so I moisturise after a shower. When travelling I rely on Nivea so I’m not packing extra bottles.

9. Remember to feel fortunate for what you’ve got

Life’s full of ups and downs. I feel more grateful with age. Kenny and I have talked openly about his prostate cancer and the impact on sex. Now, a lot of men and their wives come up to us and whisper that it really helped them, which is so lovely. That was exactly what Kenny wanted. He felt that he should talk about it because he felt so fortunate. Every six months he has blood tests to make sure his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level is low, because he hasn’t got a prostate now. But he’s really fit and preparing to cycle 100 miles every day in Ireland for a week for motor neurone disease.

10. Turn your walk with a friend into exercise

On the days I don’t train, I’m still active but in a more relaxed way, perhaps meeting friends to swim in a lake, horse riding or taking the dogs on a long walk with the family.

I don’t always manage 10,000 steps a day, but I recently learnt that 7,000-8,000 is optimum. We have some lovely scenery where we live in the Chilterns, but I’m equally fond of city walking. In London I get off one Tube stop earlier and I always walk up the escalators.

I’m working with the health and life insurer Vitality, because I love their Talk in the Park initiative. It promotes the physical and mental benefits of walking while in conversation at people’s local Parkrun. Research shows that 50 per cent of people walk farther when deep in conversation, and I’ve always loved really checking in with my children, twins Reuben and Lois, during walks. They’re 20 now and have flown the nest, but it’s far from empty as – joyfully – they’re back so often.

11. Chill out before bed

I don’t drink much wine these days, but I love gin and tonic, although I know alcohol isn’t conducive to a productive next day. The ritual of cleansing my face at night helps me relax, or a pre-bed shower. If I’m travelling I might take melatonin and magnesium, and I get to bed about 10.30pm.

Weirdly, watching Gogglebox sends me to sleep. Kenny’s not a bed reader, but when I’m in hotels I read a book for 15 minutes before sleep. And I take my Tempur pillow everywhere I go.

I don’t use a sleep tracker – I don’t need any more metrics in my life. I just ask myself: “Do I feel OK when I wake up and is my energy consistent?” I know if I’ve had a few gin and tonics on a Sunday evening then on Monday I’ll probably not feel as great, but that’s OK. The wellness industry is huge, but you’ve got to pick your own path.

12. Embrace big changes in your life – especially after 50

I’m thinking of moving up north for Match of the Day – and no, Gary Lineker hasn’t offered me any tips! It’s a joy to get to do something that you really enjoy and that still has such importance. Ten years ago it would have been a very different proposition. But my life is so different now. Reuben is playing for Sale Sharks next season so I’ll be able to see him, and even Lois asked on our family Whatsapp “Should we just all move to Manchester?” I love the North-west. I’m definitely not averse to spending more time there, so we’ll see how it goes…

As told to Susanna Galton