Walk back to happiness: How Simon Delaney lost weight and upped his energy levels
Simon Delaney at the launch of Sport Ireland's Your Personal Best Month, a project aimed at encouraging men aged over 45 to become more physically active and engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five days a week. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
SIX weeks ago, after celebrating his 50th birthday, Ireland AM presenter Simon Delaney decided that it was time for a lifestyle change. “Look, it was a big birthday,” he booms down the phone, in characteristically enthusiastic form. “I was sick of myself. I was sick of the excuses. Instead of getting up and doing some exercise, I’d say: 'Ah it's raining, ah I can't be arsed, I'll just watch one more episode of ”
The sense of mortality a new decade brings rings true for the television personality this year more than ever, encouraging him to incorporate a walk into his daily routine. Six kilos lighter and full of energy, he wishes he had made the change earlier.
“I've more to go, but the sense of achievement is there. It's good for the soul. I feel brilliant,” he says.
Simon knows that there are lots of men just like him, sitting at home across the country afraid to make the change, so when Sport Ireland approached him to take part in its challenge, Your Personal Best Month, he thought that his own recent experience might help others.
The initiative comes as a result of Sport Ireland’s most recent Irish Sports Monitor, which shows that males aged over 45, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, are among those least likely to be active.
“When I was approached about this campaign I just thought, this fits because it's aimed at me. I've never been a gym bunny, I've never been a workout kind of a guy. I played a lot of sport back in the day, so I thought, I'll do something low impact like walking.”
Delaney found a 5km loop near his house and set himself the goal of being able to walk it. “The first day I went out, I walked for 2.5km and I felt like I'd done the London marathon. I thought: 'This isn't for me'.
"The next day I did 3km, then I did 3.5km and then finally I did the full circle from my hallway all the way around and back and it was 5.6km. I thought:'God! In a week I have walked 45km'.”
The most recent Irish Sports Monitor shows that 61% of men aged over 45 believe they don’t get enough exercise. It also shows that this particular age group is adept at using excuses to put it off. More than half (57%) regularly convince themselves that they’ll ‘start on Monday’.
Simon says that there is a bit of a stigma around men and exercise, and that it’s important to encourage each other to get up and out there.
As a dad to four sons, he is hyperaware of the impact his own lifestyle has on his children. “They are watching us, learning all the time,” he says. “The first time I said to the 12-year-old, do you want to come for a walk with me, he went: 'Are you going for a walk?'. Now, they see me putting my shoes on and they ask me if I'm going for 'my walk'. It’s a routine that they see, and we have to pass these good habits onto our kids.”
Delaney concedes that not all of us will want to take to the roads with the same enthusiasm as he has, and that’s where the Sport Ireland website comes in. “If you don't want to go out because you're worried about the neighbours seeing you wearing your lycra walking down the street, then stay in the house and do the exercise. The website has lots of tips and tricks and workouts that you can do in your own home.”
An avid podcast and audiobook fan, he is listening to Michael Palin's diaries on his walks. “Oh my God, he is fascinating. I'm listening to one called Travelling To Work. It's 18 hours long and I can’t wait to have my hour every day with Michael while I’m out walking - it's phenomenal.”
Aside from Michael Palin, Delaney’s other huge passion in life is cooking. He has written a cookbook and was a finalist in RTÉ's in 2017, so who better to pontificate on what will be the lockdown baking obsession, this time around? “I don’t like it myself, but I really think that barmbrack could be the new sourdough or banana bread. That or Christmas pudding. Every hot press around the country is going to be full of Christmas puddings.”
It’s a stressful time, he counters. “Look, we all have these restrictions on us and it’s not easy. It’s a good idea to get out and get moving, for your head as much as your body.”
Then, it’s important to indulge in the food that feeds your soul. “Not fussy things, mind you. You won't find any powdered pomegranate in my recipes I can tell you that much. No slice of the Brazilian rainforest here. It's all stuff you have in the cupboard.”
So, what will Simon Delaney be eating during the next few weeks when he comes in from the cold after his daily walk? “There's nothing wrong with a lovely piece of sourdough bread, a bit of Irish ham, some mozzarella or grated strong Irish cheddar and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Pop it under the grill until it’s bubbling and delicious. You can't beat it.”
- The Your Personal Best campaign is being supported by sporting national bodies such as Cycling Ireland, Athletics Ireland, Get Ireland Walking and Swim Ireland, which will provide information, advice and programmes for men who want to become more active. Full details of Your Personal Best Month can be found at www.sportireland.ie
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