Health Scan

Mary Kennedy RTÉ presenter

Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?

It’s fairly healthy, though at the moment I’m dying with a cold. I’m really annoyed because it’s the first time I’ve had a sniffle in about five years. I live very healthily, or I try to, during the week and then I relax the rules at the weekend.

How often do you exercise?

I go to Pilates on a Monday evening and I jog three times a week about four miles. I got into it in secondary school and was in the athletics club at UCD. I’ve done the Dublin City Marathon twice so I do like it.

I find it great for aerobic fitness but also for the psychological benefits I get from it. You go out feeling tired and low and come back like a different person.

Do you get your five a day?

I don’t know. I make smoothies in the morning with blueberries, strawberries, bananas and natural yogurt. I zap them all up and leave them in the fridge. I like vegetables and I like salads but I don’t count them.

Do you worry?

Yes. I have it down to a fine art. I inherited it from my mother and she probably inherited it from her mother. It’s funny, I never worry about work and I don’t worry about money. My mother never had much money and she never worried about it. But yes, I worry about family, friends and health.

What do you do to relax?

I run, I love gardening, I like reading and I love being with friends. I actually love people. My idea of an ideal night is to have friends and family around my table or to be around theirs.

What’s your unhealthiest habit?

Probably champagne, well the poor man’s champagne; it’s sparkling wine. I do love it for celebrations or at Christmas. A little of what you fancy does no harm. I love heat as well; I probably have the heat up too much.

MARY KENNEDYis supporting the Alzheimer Society of Ireland's Christmas Memory Ribbon campaign. Create a ribbon in memory of a loved one touched by Alzheimer's or dementia at alzheimer.ie.