Novelist Martina Devlin tells Patricia Weston about how her regular jogs on the beach give her the 'feel good' endorphins she used to only get from chocolate
Do you take regular exercise?
I try to because writing is very sedentary. I love walking because it clears the head. Last year I took up jogging. I didn't think it was something I could do. My boyfriend was doing the Dublin Marathon and he had a panic attack because he told everyone he was doing it so he knew he couldn't drop out. I decided to give him some support and I went out training with him and found that I really liked it!
What do you like about jogging?
I enjoy the way you switch off and just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. You get into a stride and develop your own rhythm. The reward is in the effort. I do feel exhausted afterwards but I feel better having moved from the desk.
When I have a deadline there's the temptation not to budge but I always feel better when I get up and run. I also love the 'feel good' hormones that my body releases when I run, the endorphins I only ever find in chocolate.
Have you ever suffered from a sports injury?
No, I haven't but I run on the beach rather than pounding on cement. I like the sensation of running on impacted sand. Besides, when you pound the pavement, dogs have a tendency to run after you which can be off-putting.
Have you ever joined a gym?
I joined a gym when I lived in London because I tried running on the streets but I just ended up with my face covered in dirt from the pollution and my lungs clogged. In the gym I'd run on the treadmill but never did any weights. I liked the gym but haven't bothered to join one since moving back to Ireland.
Do you do any other exercise besides jogging?
I love yoga. I do the sun salute because it soothes me. I find I internalise a lot as a writer so yoga helps.
Are you conscious about what you eat?
I'm a vegetarian but unfortunately not a very good one. I don't look properly at what I'm eating. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years and I've only started to introduce fish into my diet in the last year out of starvation.
My body's been crying out for something so I'm giving it fish.
I love carbohydrates: bread, pasta and potatoes. I'm also a chocolate fiend. I have to eat chocolate every day. I reward myself with chocolate after a run; I have a bar on the kitchen table waiting for me when I come in.
Martina's latest novel Temptation is out now, published by Poolbeg.
Patricia Weston recommends:
According to Margot Brennan of the Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute (INDI): "You can have a very healthy life if you are a vegetarian, particularly if you are a lacto-ovo vegetarian."
A vegetarian is someone who eats fruit, vegetables, grain products such as bread and pasta but no meat, fish, dairy products or eggs.
A lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who includes dairy products and eggs in their diet but no meat or fish.
"The main concern with a lacto-ovo diet is iron. Iron is found in red meat so it needs to be replaced. Eggs, cashew nuts, leafy vegetables, peas and beans are all good sources of iron but they need to be eaten with foods rich in vitamin C like oranges so they can be absorbed by the body," Brennan says.
For more information and a fact sheet on vegetarianism visit: www.indi.ie
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates instructor.
Consult a physician or qualified healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regime.