Declan Nerney, Irish country singer, has a hectic and irregular work schedule, and his diet is shocking, he tells Patricia Weston, but he keeps his batteries charged by going for walks
Are you fit?
I wouldn't say I was that fit at all. When my weight creeps up I try to keep it down by walking. I'd walk about six miles a week, two-three days a week. Walking helps keep my batteries charged.
Doing gigs makes it hard to stick to a regular routine. I did try the gym but I found it difficult to find the time to keep it up and I found it very boring just running and watching the timer on the machine.
Walking kills two birds with one stone; I get out in the open air and I meet the neighbours for a chat.
Do you eat a healthy balanced diet?
In show business there's no such thing as a regular eating pattern. I can't schedule meals so it's very difficult to eat well. I eat out of all sorts of places. My diet would shock the fittest person.
I'd have a Chinese one night, pizza the next, then Irish stew another night. While I try to vary what I eat as much as I can, I eat an awful lot of rubbish all of the time. It's something I'm always battling against.
Would you consider yourself healthy?
Yes, I think I'm in reasonably good health especially considering my type of lifestyle. I'm not bad after 30 years in the business.
Do you use alternative remedies?
Yes, I think alternative remedies definitely give results. I would be a firm believer in old herbal remedies. The Chinese can't be too far wrong. I had acupuncture when I had nasal trouble recently and I found it helped hugely.
Patricia Weston's exercise prescription:
There are plenty of ways to fit exercise into your life, even if you have a very hectic and irregular work schedule like Declan.
The reason most people don't exercise is because they claim they simply haven't got the time. Here are some tips to help you squeeze exercise into a very busy schedule.
Tell your family and friends that you are committing extra time to exercise and you would like their support.
Get out of bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and go for a brisk walk.
Even if you feel exhausted and just want to chill out in front of the TV, 20 minutes of aerobic activity will make you feel more energetic. So, ditch that remote and do some gentle floor stretching or tone up with press-ups, squats and abdominal curls.
If your job requires a lot of travel, make sure you pack your trainers and take a skipping rope along with you so you can skip in your hotel room for 20-30 minutes for a fat-burning, high intensity workout.
Aim to exercise every day, even if this includes only a quick 20-minute walk or workout.
If you find yourself eating unhealthy fast food, squeeze healthy juices into your diet. There are so many juice bars around you have no excuse, just opt for the vegetable-only juices or a super healthy wheat grass shot.
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates teacher.