My Kind of Exercise

Aidan Power, RTÉ young people's presenter, tells Patricia Weston his diet is fairly balanced despite the station's canteen lunch…

Aidan Power, RTÉ young people's presenter, tells Patricia Weston his diet is fairly balanced despite the station's canteen lunch

Do you take regular exercise? Occasionally. I play football with the lads and do some gym work during the week.

Would you consider yourself fit? No I don't think I'm as fit as I should be.

Have you ever suffered any serious illnesses or injuries? No, nothing too serious thankfully. I haven't broken a bone yet but I have torn ligaments playing football.

READ MORE

Do you worry about your appearance? Not as much as other people seem to.

Is there anything about your body you'd like to change? My nose is slightly bent, but I think others are more concerned with it than I am.

Would you ever consider cosmetic surgery? Certainly not for vanity reasons.

Do you eat a balanced diet? I think so. For breakfast I usually eat toast and a boiled egg and on the weekend I have liver, bacon, egg, sausage and toast. My lunch consists of RTÉ canteen standard issue meat, potatoes and two veg. My dinner is usually home-cooked meat, potatoes and two veg.

I snack on crisps, chocolate, fruit and sandwiches or salad during the day.

Ever tried any faddy diets? No, and I try convincing people not to do them.

What stresses you? I get stressed when I haven't had enough sleep.

How do you unwind? At home watching the box, listening to jazz, or with few pints.

What's your attitude towards exercise? A lot done but more to do.

Patricia Weston recommends:

Stamina is a very important element of football fitness. Here is some advice on how to improve stamina in order to develop your footballing abilities:

Cross-training is probably one of the most effective ways of improving stamina.

Cross-training means including a variety of activities in your workout programme to challenge and exercise the different muscle groups.

Include 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week such as running, aerobics, swimming, cycling or even walking.

Strength-train using weight machines or free weights at the gym or at home for at least an hour twice a week on alternate days to allow your muscles recovery time.

Stretch out all the major muscle groups after each and every aerobic and anaerobic (weight training) workout to improve flexibility and help prevent injury.

Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates teacher.

Consult a physician or qualified healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regime.