Healthy Living

Not even a week into my new healthy living and I'm already feeling the benefits. Eating properly (i.e. not pizza every day) and regularily, coupled with a lash of water and you can feel the benefits straight away. Add in a decent nights sleep and it tops it all off.

I wouldn't normally refer to soccer players but Roy Keane is a role model for all Irish people. Being Cork's greatest international sportsman (and by definition this means Ireland's also) is some acheivement when you place him amongst the plethora of talent in Ireland's leading county. I reckon Keane was maybe my age or a couple of years younger when he got his act together and decided to do everything he could to prolong his career.

The thing he did that surprised most people was to take up yoga. He waxed lyrically about the impact it had on his body, especially in terms of injury prevention. The other thing he did was totally overhaul his diet. When you see pictures of him in the mid nineties he often looked a little bloated. In his latter days as a played though he reduced his body fat greatly to cut a lean figure.

I'd always been intrigued about the yoga but could never garner enough free time to get into it. I'm going to make a bigger effort now though as i need something to help fight off injuries. Pilates on a Sunday morning is the most convenient at the moment. I went once back in July but summer is no time to take up something because of the disruption with holidays and all that.

They run classes in my gym so I started again last Sunday. Its situated just off Place Luxembourg and is graced by many of the European Parliament's finest ladies. There is no pain in wandering in a couple of evenings a week. The pain may be reserved just for them. I was last in the door for the class on Sunday and everyone had their mats at the ready. I did a quick scan and there were just two lads among the bones of twenty women.

They turn out very well when they visit the gym with all the fanciest gear. I plodded in with the o'neills shorts and training top, a pair of football socks and runners still muckied from a recent training. I had to have a quick sniff to see had I even washed the gear since their last outing but it was difficult to confirm!! I plonked myself down in the only spot free, up the front.

The first thing the teacher instructed us to do was remove the shoes. Oh sh1t. I train in those runners! Even a loosening of the laces could cause a mass evacuation. I took them off anyway and then cocked my nose and looked around me to try and throw everyone off the scent (pardon the pun)!

It was a great hours work. There is a fair bit of core work and a good share of stretching. You can really feel the whole body loosen out as the exercises move on. Its hard to nail the breathing though. You have to really exaggerate the inhale and exhales and its fairly hard when you are looking at everyone with their eyes closed puffing their cheeks in and out.

Anyway, the benefit was instantly recognisable on Monday night. It was the first time I took part in any kind of strenuous sprints in a few months I'd say. Whilst I'm a good bit off where you would like to be, I was still able to get through the session without too much bother. We did alot of sprinting and it was competitive with Crusher calling the winner each time. I found myself next to Giller and Keary and we had good craic driving eachother on. I'd say I edged the short sprints but couldn't catch them in the 50m ones at the end. I might have got Keary once but Giller had the edge on me throughout. I'd have him up to half way but then he'd unravel those long gangly legs and catch me everytime.

As always, the minute I get even a hint that I might be on the mend, I go at it hammer and thongs. So it was hurling training tonight, which the back despises when its anyway out of order. According to the temperature dials on the buildings I passed going to training, it was 30 degrees at 19h tonight. The session finished well with a full pitch game. The ball moves lively off the Parc 50 pitch and with our touch a bit off it was a little frustrating. We are off to the Hague this weekend for the seasons last tournament. With the Championship already secure its been difficult to keep the momentum in training but we had decent numbers tonight so we will travel with the aim off trying to put 5 tournament wins in a row and in doing so, set the challenges for the Kilkenny's of the world!!