James O’Connor reveals intense lifestyle changes that have him on the cusp of Wallabies recall for Lions series
James O’Connor says he was ‘a quarter of the player’ he is now, when he lined up for the Wallabies during the Lions last tour of Australia, and has a series of lifestyle changes to thank for that.
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Daily naps, nightly stretches, and a minimalist diet inspired by LeBron James and Tom Brady have James O’Connor in prime shape as he launches an extraordinary bid to play in a second British & Irish Lions series.
The 34-year-old former Wallabies playmaker is in contention for a stunning comeback following match-winning efforts for the Crusaders this season.
Australia’s coach Joe Schmidt has confirmed O’Connor is in the mix for the Lions series, 12 years after he started at No. 10 for the Wallabies in the 2-1 series loss to the tourists in 2013.
From a party-boy prodigy in his early career, O’Connor has transformed his lifestyle into a regimented sequence of habits, while intermittently fasting.
“I watched a lot of what LeBron and Brady were doing, even some of the diet stuff they do like food combining, how they were eating and the intermittent fasting,” O’Connor told CODE Sports.
“And then a lot of their training, the older you get, the stiffer you get, so it’s about more training the fascia (connective tissue) now instead of just the muscles.
“Last year what really frustrated me was I’d had a couple injuries over the last four years in a row, I’d picked up one or two injuries each year. And they were injuries I feel like I could have avoided, if I’d just been clearer on my intention of ‘This is what I want to get out of training. This is what I need to focus on’.
“I don’t need to be doing what the 21-year-olds are doing. For me to play consistently, I want longevity. I want to be healthy.
“Eating, number one. You start your day with fruit because apparently it’s digested in your intestines.
“So when you eat, 80 per cent of your energy goes into digesting food. So it’s about having energy for training instead of digesting food. So you start your day with fruit.
“There’s intermittent fasting. It’s also the quality of meat that you’re eating and the quality veg. So it’s all organic vegetables, all organic meat – more red meat. But then you’re having a good fasted window where my cells can regenerate.”
Aside from the fruit, O’Connor only eats two meals a day, naps between training sessions, and does an hour-long stretch routine on his lounge room floor each night as he watches television with wife Bridget. On Sundays, he does yoga.
“The recovery element is napping every day, at least five days a week, I’ll have a nap,” O’Connor said.
“Sometimes it’s only 20 minutes. Other times it’ll be an hour and a half. Hearing LeBron talk about his naps, even when you go back further Kobe Bryant was doing the same stuff.
“Athletes say a nap is almost worth five hours of sleep, there’s some scientific evidence coming out of it. Even doing breathing session into a nap is a game changer, just how fresh you are after it. It’s almost setting you up for two days.”
It’s helped O’Connor revive his career after leaving Queensland Reds last year for the Kiwi franchise that missed the finals last season after seven straight premierships, but is firmly back in the title race in 2025.
“I’m running faster and moving quicker, and touch wood, this is why I feel more energetic, because I’ve got a better program,” O’Connor said.
“It’s become a habit, it’s just part of my natural life now.”
O’Connor is relishing his time in Super Rugby’s most successful club.
“There’s been quite a few things away from the field that have surprised me, in terms of how just authentic they come together, how we as a group interact and set up team functions, our little bonding sessions, and even just how we review games and preview,” he said.
“Every team you play for has mini groups and preview and guys who run attack, but it’s never been to the level that I’ve experienced here in terms of just how tight you get, how much you break apart a game, how open the dialogue is and even communications over the weekend.”
If given the chance to play the Lions again, O’Connor feels more than ready to help Australia win.
“I want to be involved with the Wallabies again, I’d love to play in the Lions series, maybe to others it was so far away, but I could see how close I actually was,” O’Connor said.
“I needed to put some games together. I needed to really take ownership of my body and be fit and then produce.
“I know I can play footy, but it’s just about being healthy and then having that opportunity to play consistent footy and build some games.
“I put it out there, that’s a huge goal of mine, I’d love to be able to pull the gold jersey on again.
“But I’m not really focusing on that. I’m just focusing on our team playing well.
“When our team plays well, usually I’ve done my job and put us in the right parts of the field. It’s just a change in mindset, and it’s quite freeing as well, because it’s I don’t have to do massive plays, all I need to do is pick the right option in that moment for us to move up the field.
“Obviously, I was a part of the last Lions tour and I was a quarter of the player I am now. I had young legs and I was full of energy and bravado and confidence, but in terms of playing in that position at 10, I knew nothing compared to what I know now.
“Whether I get the opportunity to be involved and play, man, it’d be incredible and I’d give everything for it. Or whether Joe makes the decision to bring me into the squad and I’m just sort of helping the other ballplayers and the other guys create moves and game plans and how to manage, I know quite a lot of the Lions guys, I have played that style of rugby, so I know what they’re going to be bringing.”
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