Bobbi Connolly, member of the Irish paralympic boccia team and Enable Ireland service user, tells Patricia Weston she considers herself very fit.
Are you a regular exerciser?
Yes, I swim once or twice a week and practise my boccia every day.
Would you consider yourself fit?
Yes, I'm a very fit and active woman.
Is your job an active or sedentary one?
I commute to Enable Ireland in Dún Laoghaire from my house by bus and I use the Dart to access town but once I get there I'm very active and face new challenges everyday.
What's your diet like?
I eat exceedingly well and try to get a good balance of vitamins and minerals. For breakfast I'll have cereal, toast, orange juice and a multivitamin tablet. For lunch I'll have a sandwich, banana, orange and a fig roll and for dinner I like beef or pork stew with vegetables or lasagne and coleslaw with a pint or two of water.
Do you suffer from stress?
Ireland's grip on accessibility stresses me. We are way behind other countries and don't seem to be in any hurry to improve the situation.
How do you unwind?
I watch TV. I like the soaps because they're always full of scandal.
What's your attitude to exercise?
I think it's important and very necessary if you want to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Patricia Weston recommends:
Boccia is an activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and disabilities, according to Enable Ireland. People with severe disabilities can play boccia and develop a high level of skill at the game.
It's played on a specially marked court and similar to lawn bowls.
The aim of the game is for players to throw the boccia balls as close as possible to a special target ball. The nearer the ball makes it to the target ball, the more points scored.
Competitors compete in wheelchairs, and devices such as ramps and chutes are allowed.
Boccia balls are usually made of leather and are the size of a baseball.
They're soft enough to grasp yet hard enough to roll well on the court surface.
This activity is strategic and can be particularly good for developing hand-eye co-ordination.
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates teacher.