Ronnie Delaney, Olympic gold medallist, ‘Love your Lungs’ ambassador
Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?
Undoubtedly I do. From a background in the Olympic Games, I’ve integrated exercise into my lifestyle for three or four decades now. I still have a healthy lifestyle and a healthy attitude towards eating, sleeping and drinking.
How often do you exercise?
I try to fit in a swim or a short walk most days – just 15 minutes or so because that does all the good things in terms of your cardiovascular system and everything like that. I swim at the Fitzwilliam Club for flexibility and I do quite a bit of exercise at the side of the pool.
Do you get your five a day?
Definitely. My wife Joan is a superb cook. In the morning, I’d start with fruit, yoghurt and honey. At lunch, I’d have chowder with fish and vegetables. For dinner, there are always at least two or three vegetables. I still work full-time so if Im tired I’ll have pasta.
Do you worry?
No, thanks be to God. Going back to being a world champion athlete, you have to sleep before the night of the race. So while you were extremely tense in one way, you had to learn to control your nerves, so in general Im not a worrier. I tackle problems from a positive position.
What do you do to relax?
If I need to relax, mostly I read. I love music and I like television, Lyric FM and talk radio.
What’s your unhealthiest habit?
I think it would be sometimes becoming cross. It’s not a habit, but I think getting into a bad mood probably is worse for you than a lot of other things. I think mood swings, or allowing yourself to become cross over some trivia, that’s probably the unhealthiest thing that I’d ever do.
'Love your Lungs,' a campaign highlighting the importance of exercise to healthy lungs. For information on free lung tests tomorrow, visit www.lunghealth.ie
