Health Scan: Deirdre Hilliard

Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?

I subscribe to the 80/20 rule across most of my life, trying to do my best 80 per cent of the time, and occasionally going to pot in various areas. I find that being careful about my nutrition and taking exercise outdoors regularly has a huge impact on my mental wellbeing, which in turn impacts on the success or otherwise of most other aspects of my daily life.

How often do you exercise?

I try to get some exercise every day. I live in the countryside close to beautiful Cobh, where there is ample space for shore walking, and road/trail running. Our three springer spaniels have a daily exercise demand which has to be met. I have recently taken up kayaking, in the inner harbour, with all three dogs swimming calmly alongside – being this close to nature is incredibly spiritually uplifting.

Do you get your five fruit and vegetables a day?

I would probably get more. Dinner would always include two or three different veggies, and often a side of mixed leaves. I am very conscious of the need to consume nutrient rich whole foods as much as possible, so I mainline beans, pulses, greens etc. I snack on fruit with small amounts of nuts in between meals.

Do you worry?

I am a worrier, but not in a very obvious way. What I have noticed is that I may have a general air of negativity on any given day, and usually hiding behind this pessimism is a current worry, usually about some issue at work. Once I am aware of the exact worry, I can then try to address it in some sort of systematic way.

What do you do to relax?

Spending time with my kids is my favourite way to relax. As a soccer mum, I prioritise going to all of their matches, and over the years we have had some fantastic times with the ups and downs of the teams they are involved in. I also love to cook, especially early in the morning, when everyone else is in bed, and I am sneaking ground linseeds into what would otherwise be an ordinary batch of scones for breakfast.

What’s your worst habit?

I love coffee, and have to consciously limit my daily intake.

Deirdre Hilliard is the founder of Just Food, which has just launched HiLo, a range of high protein low fat soups www.justfood.ie