HEALTH AND FITNESS

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Taking care of your health and well being makes you feel good about yourself in many ways

We are living in a fantastic place to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind with all sorts of resources available locally -many of them free.

Youth and community centres are great local resources for all sorts of activities that can keep you physically and mentally active and healthy


In today’s current economic climate, people are quickly realizing that they have to be part of the solution, to take action, and gain more control of their lives. Keeping healthy in body, mind and spirit is a personal decision and can be less work than you think. Here are some top tips.

· Feel good about your decisions. Bin the guilt.

· Choose exercises you will enjoy and start off in small steps. If you are sociable, try a dance class, if you are spiritual what about yoga and tai chi. If you like a bit of peace and quiet try running (you only have to go around the block at a very slow jog the first day).

· Remember when you felt when you were at you fittest. Get out a photo from that time and pin it up. It will help you keep your goal in mind.


· Get active. Put dance music on when doing housework, play football with the kids. Get the bikes out again for the spring.

Diet

“You are what you eat”

Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruit and veg and less fatty and junk food will increase your energy levels and your immune system. Make small changes such as cutting out snacking on biscuits and have some raw carrots instead. Cut down on tea and coffee and try herbal tea or even hot water.

If you have the occasional treat or binge, don’t feel bad, enjoy it and start again the next day.

Inishowen
We are living in a fantastic place to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind with all sorts of resources available locally -many of them free. Our landscape and natural environment is a real asset to our local community. There are fantastic walks, beaches and hills that tourists from all over the world pay a fortune to come over and enjoy. Spending time outside, walking, cycling, gardening is such a great way to keep healthy, physically and mentally. Get wrapped up and get out there. You will get fitter and feel better.

Golf
Golf is a great way to keep fit and healthy on so many levels. Meeting up with others to play, network and have a bit of craic gets you out of the house for a wee break (that’s bound to be good for you). It can help with mental performance as when you are playing well and are in ‘the zone’ your mind is perfectly quiet and of course you are moving your body walking and taking your shot.

(Don’t forget your warming up exercises if you haven’t played for a while).

North West Golf Club Suspends Entry Fee
North West Golf Club has suspended their First Time Members’ Levy for a limited time so first time members just pay the annual subscription for the season. They have also held their green fees at last season’s prices so if you are playing Monday to Friday it is €30 (or €20 if you are playing with a member) and €35 on Saturday and Sunday (€25 if playing with a member).

They also have special Green Fee rates for players who prefer their golf in the late afternoon. These ‘Twilight’ Green fees will begin in June and cost €15 after 7pm (Mondays to Fridays), €18 after 6pm at the weekend).

Crazy Fit Massage
This power vibration machine is hitting Inishowen by storm. You can hire a machine to use in the comfort of your own home for only €25 per month. It is a great machine for toning and losing weight without having to put any effort in yourself. You simply plug it in, stand on the plate, switch it on and away you go. A ten-minute workout is the same as an hour in the gym. Contact John McLaughlin on 087 2074527

Youth and Community Centres
Youth and community centres are great local resources for all sorts of activities that can keep you physically and mentally active and healthy.

Clonmany Youth and Community Centre
In Clonmany they have a special offer for March with gym membership only €250. There are all sorts of activities on for children and young people (from under 9’s to under 18’s) including indoor football, badminton, uni-hoc, martial arts, disco dancing and boxing. Linda Brady teaches gymnastics on Wednesdays.

Volunteer
Helping out in your local community is also a great way of keeping your body and mind active especially if you have more time on your hands then you are used to. Clonmany Youth and Community Centre are always looking for volunteers for basketball, art, drama, indoor athletics, table tennis or for their games room. If you have an hour or two to spare during the week, or are interested in any of the classes and offers, please contact the centre on 074 9376772

Buncrana Youth Club
Buncrana Youth Club also has great activities on that can help you get fit for summer. Kathy’s Irish dancing for adults is a fun and popular way to get fit and have a bit of craic. Classes are held on Mondays and Thursdays at 8pm.

If you prefer your dancing less traditional the check out the dimensions dance club on Saturday at 6.30pm All ages are welcome and the qualified dance instructors are Linda Brady and Danielle Duddy. Boxing is always popular locally for men and women. Training is on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays between 6.30 and 8pm.

5 MINUTES WITH - PADRAIG DOHERTY

Pàdraig is in his transition year at the Carndonagh Community School. He was recently voted onto the Donegal Youth Council to represent young people in the Inishowen electoral area and throughout Donegal. He is one of 36 teenagers who will be lobbying for more facilities for young people around the county and will be working closely with local councillors to implement initiatives.

Pàdraig is a keen sports person and last week was part of the winning Carndonagh team in the under 16B’s hurling county final championships….beating Buncrana 3-1 to 1-2…..


What music do you like?
Rock. Pop. Anything and everything. I tend to listen to chart music mostly.

What would you never throw away?
Hurley sticks. I would only get rid of one if it was really badly broken.

What book are you reading?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It’s a post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible

What was your favourite childhood game?
When I was younger I used to play tag. I enjoyed allof the running around. When I got to about four years old I found Gaelic and Hurling. It’s the same sort of running around but it’s more structured and competitive.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I went to see The National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage, who is a treasure hunter in hot pursuit of a mythical treasure. It was very enjoyable.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I will have a look to see if there are any good headlines and read those. Generally though it would be the sports pages to read up on hurley, gaelic, soccer and rugby. If I knew that friends were going to be in the paper, I would look them up first.

Have you done anything really daft recently?
Last week I was making a snack of beans on toast. I opened the can of beans then went to lift a heavy pan off the cooker. I was still holding the lid of the can in my hand when I squeezed hold of the pan handle. I needed three stitches. Luckily NowDoc were in Carndonagh or I would have had to travel into Derry or Letterkenny to be treated.

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I tend to watch factual programmes when I have the time. There are a couple of good talk shows on that I would watch. The Panel and the Blame Game are both entertaining.

How do you relax?
I play the computer. I spent a lot of time on the Football Manager game. I managed to get my team to the top of the division.

What job do you fancy doing when you leave the education system?
Keeping in the education system……I fancy being a primary school teacher.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
Australia has always appealed to me. The laid back lifestyle is similar to ours and you get the benefit of the good weather

Your idea of heaven?
If Donegal won the All Ireland final.

Your idea of hell?
Recently that would have been last week when Carndonagh lost the Junior Ulster quarterfinal. Malin stayed up.

What would you spend a lottery win on?
I would buy an English football team. The team I bought would depend on the amount of money I won. It would make more sense to buy a club that is low down in the divisions and build it up to be a super team.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Roy Keane the ex Man. United player and now Sunderland manager, Sean Cavanagh, the Tyrone footballer, Hector Ó hEochagáin from Hanging with Hector and the comedian Des Bishop for a bit of craic.

Favourite animal?
Dogs. We had a lassie type dog for years and now we have Darky, the scruffy 11-year-old collie.

What couldn’t you live without?
Sport. I have training most nights of the week.

Have you been anywhere interesting recently?
The family and I went to Bodega near San Francisco in the United States recently. It was for a family wedding. The scenery was a bit like Malin Head. We all took over a holiday village very close to the telephone box where Alfred Hitchcock filmed a woman getting attacked in a scene in the film The Birds.

Biggest fear?
Looking up at heights. I can climb up anything without any fear and look down but there’s just something very strange about looking up at tall buildings.

Biggest thrill?
I can only think of rollercoasters

The world’s most irritating invention?
It’s not a can opener although it comes close. It would have to be ticking clocks.

What is your idea of a good night in?
Enjoying something interesting on the telly. When people recommend a film to me I will always give it ten minutes to see if it’s any good.

Do you have a hobby?
Sport, sport and sport.

Biggest disappointment?
Two years ago I was in the Division 2 under 14’s Inishowen Gaelic team and we were in 5 finals. We won four – The championship and county championships, but were beaten by Moville on the last one, depriving us of a grand slam.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
From the year 0 (2008 years ago) to see what really happened.

World’s most useful invention?
The Internet with broadband. I use it a lot for school projects and surfing.

What do you have for breakfast?
Plain porridge.

What are the best pieces of advice you have been given?
There are a few that family members have told me. Don’t look at the negatives. You can do as many courses and exams as you like, but knowledge will only get you so far, you have to be willing to take a few risks. The school journal quoted a good one last year “The biggest risk in life is not to take a risk at all.”

Personal philosophy?
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.

RAINBOW SCHOOL IN GHANA GETS A BOOST

Noeline Haylett has just received a large donation from the Quaker Community in Dublin.

The money will be used to extend the new Rainbow school in Ho. This will be the second block for the school. Truly fantastic news!!