You Gave Me The Answer - What Do You Do To Relax?

Whether you’re a keen yogi, an expert chef or a Netflix addict, everyone has their own way of winding down at the end of a long day. For many of us, listening to a favourite album or binge-watching TV and films is an easy way to ease the tension away. And Paul is no different - right? We’re always looking out for more relaxation tips, so were happy to read Irene’s question sent in the from the USA: What do you do to relax?

Paul: “Thank you for asking, Irene. Horse riding is one of my favourite ways to relax. I have a farm in the country where I love to ride. I have a horse called Moonstar, who is great. I've ridden him for years, so we know each other very well. It's always a great relaxation to go out into the fields and the woods. I can go out for about two hours and trek around. It’s a big farm with some fabulous trails, a lot of which I made. It used to be my hobby when I had time on my hands. I would go out into the forest, take my Land Rover and then pull my chainsaw out and clear some paths, normally following animal paths like deer. Or some tracks had been made by forestry workers years before then had overgrown. So I’d make them into horse trails. Which is always very exciting when you've finished and you've joined one trail up to another.

“I also love just watching TV. I'm a big TV watcher! I know a lot of people watch series on iPads, I'm not so big into that. I prefer just easy television and Nancy makes fun of me for it. Nancy calls it the ‘Paul will watch anything department!' And she's right! In America, I will watch the infomercials…”

PM.com: “Like on the shopping channel?”

Paul: “Yeah! I say, ‘Yeah well, I'm like a tourist, so this is all new for me!’ Whereas it's a boring shopping channel for Nancy. For me, I think it's kind of exciting. I end up watching the craziest programmes. I just switch around a lot and then get hooked. I end up watching something you wouldn't imagine I’d watch! I have to resist buying everything: ‘I need a can of that!’ DiDi Seven. There’s some stuff called DiDi Seven. It cleans everything! ‘I need some of that!’ Nancy will say, ‘...Are you sure?’

“It’s relaxing! It’s nice to escape and sometimes a bit of easy TV is great. You don’t have to think about anything! You know, I've been thinking all day, either in the studio or in the office. Meeting with you guys. Doing things like answering questions, having meetings about this and that. So, I get home and just flop, turn the TV on, just flick around. I love things like ‘Gogglebox’. And some of the comedy shows like ‘Would I Lie To You?’ All the British shows like that. They’re just such good programmes.”

So there you go! Now excuse us while we park up in front of the shopping channel for a few hours... and resist buying everything! Do you share any relaxation habits with Paul? What do you do to wind down, and are there any particular things you can recommend? Let us know in the comments below!