Matt James has traveled the world tasting international cuisines from Dublin to Tokyo. But for exes Bachelor32, nothing beats a home cooked meal prepared by girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell.
“Rachael is my favorite chef,” James told PEOPLE on Wednesday at Samsung 837 in New York City. “She does everything the best. I love eating out, but there is nothing I love more than a home cooked meal. I often eat leftovers.”
James has teamed up with Samsung to promote its gadgets and technology, like SmartThings, which are handy for simply reheating those leftovers. “You can prompt the microwave to heat up meals, so if I’m working out in the garage and want something ready to go, by the time I get to the kitchen, it’s as simple as pressing a few buttons on the phone,” he explained.
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The reality star said Kirkconnell, 27, recently made a “delicious” steak pasta with Philly cheese, but he especially loves when she makes breakfast for dinner.
“That’s my omakase,” James joked. “I’ll take that over anything. She knows I like waffles crispy with butter and warm syrup. It’s that touch that you don’t get out of.”
While they may be on the same page about food, “we have different ideas about exercise,” said James, who is training for the TCS London Marathon in April.
Matt James (left) and Tyler Cameron from The Bachelor. Matt James/Instagram
He prefers running, and Kirkconnell likes pilates, which James hasn’t gotten into yet.
“It just frustrates me because I like to be good at everything,” he laughed. “When I see her at the reformers so effortlessly and struggling, it’s a reality check for every moment I try to convince her to do something that’s foreign to her. It’s a good exercise, but it’s frustrating for someone who isn’t familiar with it.”
“But I’m a proponent of anyone doing anything to sweat,” he added.
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It would take Kirkconnell, whom James met during his season bachelor, ever wanted to start running, “I’d be her biggest fan and coach and do whatever I can to get her to the finish line,” he said.
James is hoping to cross the finish line in London alone in under three hours, a goal he missed by just five minutes when he ran the New York City Marathon in November. He started doing more strength training with the Samsung Health app in hopes of reaching his goal.
“I didn’t do a lot of strength training and I feel like my hamstrings gave out towards the end,” James admitted. “So accessing strength training programs through Samsung Health made it easy. I might start my day or run with a nice warm-up or exercise, and that will help me reach that goal. It’s easy to get into your routines from home.”
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Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James.
Ethan Miller – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
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James does his best to stay consistent with his workouts when he travels by having a routine.
“When I stopped playing organized sports, I tried to do everything willy-nilly, but nothing worked out for me. So having a routine is the only way I can do anything,” said the former football student. “That is the priority of the matter. When I travel, fitness is my priority above all else. There is time to do whatever you want, it’s just a matter of what you prioritize. If you want to scroll on TikTok, then that becomes your priority.”
Right now, James called his priorities “a lot of training and working on some fitness programming for our students” he works with in New York through his charity ABC Food Tours. “It’s amazing when you go into some of those state schools and see how little exposure students who love sports have to them,” he said. “So [ABC Food Tours is] trying to find ways to bridge those gaps.”
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Source: HIS Education