Health scan lifestyle Q&A

Marty Whelanpresents Marty in the Morning on Lyric FM

Do you think you have a healthy lifestyle?

I stopped smoking about 13 years ago so that can’t be a bad thing. I smoked about 25 a day. I probably should curtail my wine – which I do during the week, but at the weekend I’ll say, sure we’ll have a few glasses and away we go.

How often do you exercise?

Every day I try to do something. I joined a gym in Malahide and it’s about doing it little and often. I try to go three times a week. I don’t beat myself up about it but I’m conscious that I need to be doing something. I’d do about an hour in the gym, I’m not mad about it in that I don’t go at it hell for leather, but I do the best I can.

Do you get your five a day?

If I got two and a half I’d be doing well. I do love green vegetables – broccoli would be my favourite. I love my dinners. I don’t do desserts but one of my passions is butter – and that breaks every rule doesn’t it?

Do you worry?

I used to worry but now I don’t. You learn as you get older that it doesn’t achieve anything apart from stressing you out. In my occupation, I’ve enough stress to deal with on a daily basis, worrying doesn’t change anything.

What do you do to relax?

I love to read and I love old black-and-white movies with people like Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford, I get a great kick out of them. I like to walk and I play tennis in Malahide from time to time.

What’s your unhealthiest habit?

I’m a bit of a devil for butter. If I make sandwiches for the kids they are scraping the butter off them. It’s my mother’s fault, that’s how she brought me up and I can’t help it.

I love my butter and there is no butter in the world that tastes like Irish butter. They hide it from me at home.

In conversation with Joanne Hunt