Matt James Says His Go-To Sneakers Are “So Comfortable”

If you’re a part of Bachelor Nation, you know Matt James, the season 25 star of The Bachelor. But if you haven’t been following him recently—and you definitely should, by the way—James has fully committed to two things: food reviews and his health journey as a marathon runner. Fitness and food content? He definitely gets EatingWell’s first rose!

To be serious, when we were given the opportunity to chat with the reality star, it was a no-brainer. James recently partnered with RxBar to become the brand’s “No B.S. Motivator” in hopes that lovers of the protein-packed snacks will be inspired by his positive message to keep going.

In this exclusive interview, we asked James more about this opportunity, as well as his go-to meals while he marathon trains, the sneakers that he swears by and the most memorable meal he’s shared with sweetheart and Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell.

EatingWell: What does your typical day of eating look like when you’re training for a marathon? Do you have any go-to meals that you stick by for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

James: I’m constantly in some sort of marathon training block, this one currently is for New York. I’ll wake up around 6:30 and I’ll have oatmeal and peanut butter. That’s typically the best breakfast to sit in the stomach, and then I’ll go start my workout. If it’s a long run, longer than 14 miles, I’ll be taking Maurten gels just to keep the energy high. But if it’s not, the protein from the peanut butter and oatmeal is enough. 

After the run, I have a protein shake. I’m never really hungry immediately after my run, and I feel like a lot of runners could relate to that. Your body’s gone into this mode where it’s eating off of everything that you’ve fueled with previously, so I’m not like, “Where’s the food?” A protein shake or a protein bar is giving my muscles the protein it needs to rebuild and refuel so that I can get back and keep training. And then after that, I’ll typically have something protein-packed for lunch and dinner, like meatballs, chicken turkey, something lean with lentils or couscous. And I’ll do the same thing for lunch and dinner, I’m a creature of habit. 

EatingWell: What’s your favorite sneaker to run in, and why?

James: So I have a few. I would say that most recently, Lululemon has a men’s shoe. It’s called the Beyondfeel, and it’s just a comfort shoe. I can wear it to the gym, I can wear it to run a 5K, I can wear it on a 10-mile run. I could put 250 miles on these shoes and they look good. New Balance has their FuelCell trainer, it’s a thick sole, super comfortable and is another shoe that can take a beating. I’ll typically do my long runs in those. Lastly, Nike has the Invincible 3. They’re another shoe that you can run anywhere from a 5K up to a marathon on. They’re so freaking comfortable, and the common theme for me is the cushion and being able to protect my joints. A lot of people go for style, I’m all about comfort. So it’s a rotation between those three running shoes for my marathon cycle.

Why partner with RxBar and what excites you most about this new campaign?

James: Those are two great questions. I think that it starts with being a fan of the brand. It wouldn’t work if it wasn’t something that wasn’t organic to what I was already doing. And as someone who’s been consuming RxBars for a long time, I can speak to the product and my experience in a unique voice. 

Outside of that, as a runner, I’m constantly battling internally, literally every single run. “Why are you doing this, Matt? This is so dumb, you’re not being paid to go run. Why are you torturing yourself every day?” I have to remember, I love this, and I need to do this to get these intrusive thoughts out of my head. I know that millions of other runners are out there having that same internal struggle and battle. So as RxBar’s “No B.S. Motivator,” I get to share that messaging with those runners. I’m excited for people to experience that pre- or post-workout motivation.

EatingWell: What has been your favorite meal that you have shared with Rachael, whether through travel or something prepared at home?

James: I think of the most recent meal we had that we both loved. We were in Paris for the Paralympics and the Olympics last month, which was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I follow a lot of other food creators, and one of my favorite creators posted a video of their round up in Paris. One of the restaurants was this place called La Renommée and it was so good. It was freaking amazing. Steak, burgers, French fries, whipped cream with strawberries. They had duck, escargot, and I’m not even a snail guy, but we were super adventurous. There’s this rabbit pasta that Rachael really loved. We have probably been to that restaurant four times in the last month. And I never try to go to the same place twice because I like trying to find new stuff, but La Renommée in Paris is a top 10 for me. We both love it.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.