SELF CARE MEANS TO ME…
It means getting enough sleep, which isn’t the easiest thing to do. I’m always last to bed and first up. I also get up in the middle of the night recently to check the World Championships. But as long as I get up and feel awake, I must have had enough sleep. I’m not big on wearing any trackers, I don’t want the watch to tell me I’m not ready for the day, I’d rather decide that for myself. Then also for me, it’s about getting out and doing some exercise every day. It’s not always running, I try do that every second day, but maybe cycling, swimming or doing to the gym.
THE BEST HEALTH ADVICE I EVER GOT WAS…
The biggest thing is to listen to your body. You have to be self aware and understand how you feel. I know if I’m feeling tired that I must be missing something. Maybe I wasn’t home for a few days, I was eating out and not getting all the right things while out of my regular routine.
THE BIGGEST LESSON I’VE LEARNT LATELY IS…
I’m very relaxed about things! I’m happy to take my time while doing things, and get it done right. If I’m going for a run, I like to get that done in the morning and feel like it sets you up for the day. Having a structure in that sense helps me though and makes me feel like I’m in control but I don’t feel like I have to be doing things all the time.
I DECIDED TO GET INVOLVED WITH THIS CAMPAIGN WITH BENECOL BECAUSE…
It’s like a stop sign or a road block, it makes you pause, ask a question and check things. You can continue on as normal every day and think everything is going fine. So with this ‘Let’s Talk Numbers’ campaign, I went to check my cholesterol numbers and everyone said yeah we can do a blood test and it’ll be fine, but it wasn’t so fine – my results were a little bit high. When you have a red number, it’s a warning sign and I knew I had to do something different and make a change.
In the past I’ve been around athletes and they’ve told you, you can’t tell what’s happening on the inside from the outside. As an athlete, you do see yourself as being fit and healthy and you’re reluctant to think you might have some issues so it was a good reminder for me to go check things out. One of the simple things you can do is take Benecol every morning which will help lower the number and I’m looking forward to seeing it do that.
THE OTHER SUPPLEMENT I SWEAR BY IS…
A Sisterly sachet, it has a mix of things in there so I take that and not a whole lot else. I started taking creatinine recently because I was in the gym and found I had less aches and pains while running. I try to keep it simple with as little as possible.
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I’VE FACED…
I’ve not been a high-level athlete for a long time but that transition from being an athlete to a ‘normal’ person with a normal level of fitness and activity, it takes a while to adjust, adapt and accept that. Over the years, I was in denial over things. Whenever someone has asked me recently what I’m training for, I say I’m not training, I’m just keeping fit. For me, training is for the Olympics or the World Championship, but if I do a fun run now, it’s because I want to challenge myself, set myself a goal. I don’t take it that seriously, it just gives me a purpose.
MY WELLBEING BIBLE IS…
A good gym routine! I’ve got a programme from a local gym in Cobh and I have that on an app on my phone. I do it two or three times a week. feel huge benefits from doing things in the gym. I’m doing stuff now that I wasn’t doing as an athlete when I was competing against the best in the world. I do more now! I always think well, if I knew this back then maybe I’d have been even faster!
MY GREAT ESCAPE IS…
Heading down to the beach for a walk. Particularly when I’m over in Australia I love to go along the cliff tops or down on the beach, we have a dog there so love to do that. When I’m home in Cobh, my uncle has a dog so we head out with him. Taking a dog for a walk is the best thing I could ever wish for. And just exploring!
TO SET UP MY DAY, THE FIRST THING I DO EVERY MORNING IS…
Head for a cup of coffee! I grind the beans and make a real cup. If I’m not somewhere I can make my own, I like to go for a walk to get one. I always have my own homemade muesli wherever I am.
AND THEN BEFORE GOING TO BED AT NIGHT…
I’m not very good at going to bed early. I could have the best of intentions and then next thing it’s midnight. The time goes by fast! No matter what time it is though, I always have to read something before going to sleep, even if it’s just a few pages.
I FEEL MOST EMPOWERED WHEN…
I’m out running. I feel the strongest, the bravest then. If you’re out in the dark, I’d rather run in the dark than walk in the dark. I just feel more secure and alert.
MY HAPPIEST RECENT MOMENT…
It was watching my daughter at the World Championships and she qualified for the semi-final of the 1150. It was tough for her to get there as she had an injury and wasn’t sure how she’d get on, so seeing her achieve success for the work she put in was probably the happiest I’ve been in recent times.
MY PLAN GOING FORWARD IS…
To have a bit of rest and recovery, but also to look after my health a bit more, check my diet and see what changes I can make to see if I can get some improved results over the coming weeks. I’ll focus on training, on nutrition, on recovery, on Benecol.
Heart-loving food brand Benecol®is cutting through the noise this World Heart Day with its new ‘Let’s Talk Numbers’ campaign – fronted by four-time Olympian and Benecol® brand ambassador Sonia O’Sullivan. In a world where fitness trackers and apps leave one in three people feeling overwhelmed, the campaign strips it back to one number that really matters: your cholesterol. Incorporating Benecol® into a healthy diet can lower cholesterol by 7-10% within just three weeks. The full range of Benecol® products, spreads, drinks and yoghurts, are available in all major Irish retailers (Dunnes, Supervalu, Tesco).
Imagery: Andres Poveda