Aisling Sullivan, dancer and assistant to the artistic director of Opera Ireland, tells Patricia Weston how she hates the gym but loves taking dance classes
Are you very fit?
I would say I'm adequately fit for my lifestyle and have to be for my work.
How often do you exercise?
I train every week by taking a classical ballet class and a jazz dance class. Dance is a great way to keep fit and tone your muscles, especially if, like me, you hate the gym. Recently I took up fencing with the Pembroke Fencing Club.
Have you suffered any illnesses or injuries?
Last November I contracted a bad case of glandular fever and ended up in hospital just before Christmas. I was forbidden to exercise for two months because my spleen was enlarged and in danger of rupturing.
Are you very body conscious?
I like to maintain the same weight. I don't own a weighing scales but if my clothes start to feel tight, it does bother me.
Is there anything about your body you'd like to change?
I would like leg extensions. It was my childhood ambition to be a professional dancer but I was informed in my teens that it would never happen due to my "limited physique".
What's your diet like?
I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons. One of my pet hates is meat-eaters telling me I could not possibly have a healthy diet as a vegetarian. Vegetarian foods provide all the nutrients that we need, minus the saturated fat, cholesterol and contaminants found in meat products. I make sure I have a balanced diet but I must confess I'm a bit of a chocoholic.
Does exercise play a major role in your life?
Music and dancing are a huge part of my life, whether performing on stage or participating in a class. Every dance class is a fantastic workout. It never seems like an ordeal like dragging yourself to a gym.
•Opera Ireland's winter season stages two unique operas this year including Puccini's La Boheme and Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire at the Gaiety Theatre on November 16th-18th. For further information, see www.operaireland.com
Patricia Weston's exercise prescription:
According to Aisling, "the sport of fencing is fast and athletic and demands physical fitness, great agility and strategic thinking; it is great exercise on a number of levels":
•Taking up a sword to declare en garde is a thrilling high intensity workout.
•Fencing for fitness burns an average 350-400 calories per hour.
•Fencing is like dancing; you have to gracefully watch and act in response to your opponent's advances and retreats and ensure you keep enough distance to avoid getting touched.
•The back and forth movements and lunges work the quadricep muscles, calves and hamstrings in the legs. It also requires core stability and strength, ensuring the upper body and torso get a good workout.
•It's also an act of controlled aggression, like the sport of boxing, and is a great way of releasing pent-up tension, beating stress and developing the agility and forward thinking of a fighter.
•For more information on the Pembroke Fencing Club in Ballsbridge, visit: www.pembrokefencing.ie
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates instructor.
•Consult a physician or qualified healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regime and stop exercising if you feel nauseous or dizzy.