Health Scan

Donal Og Cusack, Cork hurler

Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?

In the main, I do. I spent most of my life as a sportsperson, training for games and trying to perform at the best level that I possibly could. You can always do better, but the game has been extremely good in terms of educating me. I learned a lot about physical fitness and mental resilience.

How often do you exercise?

Six days a week. I suffered a serious injury last April; I ruptured my Achilles tendon which is one of the worst injuries a sportsperson can have. At the moment I do a mixture of weights, cardio and stretching. I ran the Dublin City Marathon two years ago and I got very fond of running, but because of the injury, I’m limited to five-mile runs and that’s only in the last month.

Do you get your five a day?

I do. I’ve been very interested in the whole area of diet through my career and the advice about what to eat changes regularly. One thing I have learned is that it’s all about balance.

Do you worry?

I do, just about normal, every- day things. I think it’s a natural human trait to worry. I’m always conscious that we are only here for a short time and I want to make sure that I’m getting the most out of it and enjoying it as much as possible.

What do you do to relax?

I like listening to music or reading. I find when I’m training, I realise my mind is quietened. I enjoy that feeling of the mind being quiet.

What’s your unhealthiest habit?

I have a sweet tooth and a very soft spot for Dairy Milk. It would be very rare that I would be at my parents’ house and there wouldn’t be the option of a Dairy Milk.

Donal is an ambassador for the Up! awareness week (March 10th-15th) against homophobic and transphobic bullying. See belongto.org