The fitness coach talks about tubs of ice-cream, pints of coke, cleaning the dishes and getting the workouts out of the way

Up early? Usually 7.30am – not super early. I get up and do my workouts to get them out of the way.

Advice for Sunday slobs? If you’re hectic and stressed through the week, you should see the weekend as a chance to exercise, prep meals and get an early night, because what you do on the weekend determines how you feel on Monday.

Were Sundays always healthy? No. Years ago I’d be coming out of a nightclub at 3am. I met my wife, Rosie, at a rave. I like a day on the sofa watching movies, having a cuddle, but it’s not like when we had one baby who slept all day. The kids demand attention.

What are you watching? Rosie and I just watched Baby Reindeer. But with the kids – a five-year-old, a four-year-old, a one-year-old and one on the way – we’re more likely to be watching Kung Fu Panda or princess films on Disney.

What are you eating? I might make an egg and bacon sandwich for breakfast. I love going out for a good Sunday roast with a pint of coke and a sticky toffee pudding. I’m quite greedy and could do a tub of Ben & Jerry’s in a single sitting. But not every day!

Sunday housework? I have to clean repeatedly. I’ll do breakfast, maybe a recipe, share a video, then do lunch… And I work from home. And Rosie works from home, too. I can’t keep up with all the cleaning.

Sunday arguments? I’m good at cleaning the dishes, the bowls, the cups. But I get bored and lose attention with the knives and forks. And I’ll leave clothes in a pile on the chair, because I might change my outfit three times a day…

Sunday me-time? If the sun’s shining, I’ll go out for an hour or two on the motorbike – I’ve got a Triumph cruiser.

The novelist takes us on a stroll to the Grand Bazaar, through Central Park and to Freeman’s on 72 Street for the best Reuben sandwiches

Are Sundays special? No. I don’t have a nine to five, so I don’t live my life waiting for the weekends. I try to do a bit of writing first thing in a notepad, while my wife grabs a Sunday newspaper. Sometimes we sit in bed, sometimes in the sunroom with coffee.

Sunday shopping? We’re in New York City. One of our favourite things is to go to the Grand Bazaar on 77th and Columbus. It’s half junk, half cool stuff. It’s like going on a museum trip – you never know what you’ll see.

Any shopping mishaps? They literally sell anything: old containers of Tic Tacs, soaps you’d want to eat. My wife once bought a red leather coat with this shock of art on the back, and we’ve bought Persian carpets. And it all takes place in a school and they have food stands in the playground. Their dumplings are unbelievable. One guy just sells pickles. If you walk along Columbus, you pass Japanese, Italian, Indian, Thai and American restaurants. I’ll sit outside, because I’ll have the dogs – Winslow and Laszlo – with me.

Time for walkies? Yes, through Central Park. I like to enter at 72nd Street, Strawberry Fields, to see the John Lennon memorial and the buskers. There’s a fountain, like the one from Friends, and Bow Bridge, which you’ve seen in a million movies, like Elf.

Sunday lunch? Freeman’s on 72nd Street does the best Reuben sandwiches. I’ll walk down towards the zoo or up towards the Met. New York City is a great city for walking.

Sunday evening? I love getting lost in a good book or TV series. I’m not much of a sports fan, but both of my local teams – the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers – are doing well in the playoffs. So I’m watching a fair amount of that.

Do you ever switch off? No. Even on vacation, I write. Life is all about balance: your partner, your kids, how you eat, exercise and work. I can have all those things going well, but if I’m not writing, I know the balance isn’t going to hold.