How actor Joel Jackson uses muscles and his mind to keep fit

The star of Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries Joel Jackson reveals how he changed his fitness routine away from just strength and conditioning.

Imagine you suddenly find yourself on an African savanna, and you’re given a choice. You can be a predator, or you can be prey. Which would you choose?

Predator, right? Because who wants to be creeping around, constantly looking over your shoulder and listening out for those fast-moving feet that can only mean one thing.

But Aussie actor Joel Jackson tells me it’s not that simple. In fact, he reckons it doesn’t really matter what you choose, because whether you’re running away from something or running towards it, you’ve got to keep moving to stay alive.

“There’s this brilliant quote about the gazelle and the cheetah, and how it doesn’t matter what they do, if the sun rises and they’re not moving, they’re dead,” he says.

“It’s intense, but I love that motto. In life, our body will forever be our greatest gift, but we’re also responsible for how good that gift is, so I try to serve it as best I can.

Actor Joel Jackson reveals his fitness routine. Picture: Tim Hunter

“The alarm goes off, my clothes are prepped, gym bag packed and I’m out the door so that when I come home, the sun is rising, the coffee is brewing, and the day can begin.

“It’s either a surf session, a run, a gym workout, a walk with the farm dogs or yoga with my partner. It doesn’t matter, I’m moving.”

It’s probably a little obvious by now, but fitness plays a big role Jackson’s life. The star of Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries was raised by and in a sport-obsessed family, and so training hard is simply part of his DNA.

These days, though, his fitness focuses less on sculpting muscles and more on putting his health to use.

“A friend in the military told me recently that training in a gym doesn’t make you an athlete. It kinda shook me because I’d prided myself on my strength and conditioning, but I was never really using my fitness or challenging the entirety of myself, I was just really fit,” he says.

“So I’ve started Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and playing competitive basketball. Strength and conditioning is the tool to succeed, but it’s not the pinnacle. The pinnacle is personal growth and using your body to expand your life, wellbeing and comprehension of the world around you.

“Muscles are one thing, but they’re nothing without the expansion of your mind.”

Joel Jackson on...

Best advice I’ve ever been given

“Don’t sweat the small stuff; it’s all small stuff.” From my old man. I listened because the guy had somehow raised a wonderful family while coaching and captaining professional basketball, working as a primary school principal, driving us over 2000km for state sport tryouts and more.

Joel Jackson has taken up Jiu-Jitsu and boxing.

I take care of my mind with...

“Breath work. I discovered Tummo breathing through the incredible book Breath by James Nestor (read it!) and it changed my life. It focuses on nasal breathing which is a huge body/mind connector.”

Why I never…

“Procrastinate. In the 21st century we’ve practically made it a sport. Self-awareness is a huge aspect of acknowledging that we are procrastinating. If we were at work and caught wasting time we’d get railed, so why do we so easily give away our time when it’s on our own terms? Read Seneca’s essay; On the Shortness of Life and it might jazz up your connection with using your time more wisely.”

Joel Jackson stars in Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries on 7two

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Originally published as How actor Joel Jackson uses muscles and his mind to keep fit