Health Scan: Graham Shaw

Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle? Having been an international hockey player, I am very conscious of the importance of eating healthily, sleeping well, taking regular exercise and looking after recovery.

I am married with two young kids and have a hectic work schedule that includes hockey training at Rathdown School six days a week.

How often do you exercise? It varies depending on my schedule of school matches, club matches and international training blocks but usually three to four times a week. I try to get to the gym two or three times a week and more recently I have taken up cycling so I aim to get out for a long cycle at least once a week. Do you get your five fruit and vegetables a day? I don't monitor my intake as much now that I have retired from international sport but I eat fruit every morning and I always have some vegetables during the day.

I am lucky that my wife, Ali, is a brilliant cook and she likes to cook healthy meals, which is a big help.

Do you worry? I wouldn't describe myself as a worrier. I am a pretty logical person. From time to time, I might worry about balancing all of my work commitments with my most important job as a husband and dad. I generally find that good time management and maintaining a work-life balance relieves any worries.

How do you relax? My main stress reliever is spending time with family and friends. If I am frustrated by a match result or how a game went, I usually find that I can put it behind me once I am in the company of my kids.

What's your worst habit? Even though I try my best not to take work home, I have a bad habit of letting a bad performance or result affect my mood, which can impact on the people around me.

I’m getting better at managing this but it comes with the territory, I suppose.

Graham Shaw is a former Irish hockey international and an assistant coach to the Irish women’s hockey team.