David Mitchell, who plays Jimmy in Fair City, tells Patricia Westonhe loves being fit and doesn't think he could live without exercise.
Are you fit?
Yeah I'd say I am fit. I play five-a-side football with my mates three nights a week for cardio-fitness and I hit the gym three times a week to do weight training.
Tell us about your weight-training workout?
I started weight training for my appearance. I was nine and a half stone when I was a teenager and during my 20s. I thought I was thin and scrawny so my brother convinced me to go to the gym and start training. It's tough going because you have to stick with it and it's hard work. But I've built up the weight and now I weigh over 11 stone, which is good for a 5ft 8in man!
Do you have to follow a specific eating plan too?
Yes I have to be fairly strict about what I eat. I find white bread fattening so I avoid that and I eat lots of salads. I'm very conscious about what I eat. I eat a lot of fish, I'm a big fish fan and I eat lots of chicken. I also drink a lot of green tea, I find it calming because coffee makes me wired.
Would you consider yourself very body conscious?
I only became conscious in the last four or five years.
I was too busy partying in my 20s and now that I'm 32 I've just become a lot more health conscious.
When you're on television you have to feel confident about yourself.
What does exercise do for you?
It makes me feel better and I'm always buzzing after the gym, it's a great feeling. I don't think I could live without exercise.
What are your unhealthy vices?I smoke, which I know is bad and goes against all my training.
Patricia Weston's exercise prescription: Bulk up your body with these weight-training tips:
Eat twice as much as you would normally eat. Stick to a low fat, lean protein diet and include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Never weight train on an empty stomach.
Use free weights at the gym rather than weight machines, unless you're a complete beginner. Free weights are more effective for building muscle then machines.
Do compound exercises rather than isolation exercises. Compound exercises, such as squats, work all the muscles in the leg and the gluteals in the buttocks and can be much more effective at building muscle mass as opposed to isolation exercises, such as leg extensions on the machine that target fewer muscles across a single joint.
Train three times a week and get plenty of rest in between your weight training workouts.
Patricia Weston is an NCEHS fitness instructor, personal trainer and Pilates teacher.
pweston@eircom.net