Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Life According to… The Green Goddess, Diana Moran

© PADiana Moran.
Diana Moran.

The Green Goddess talks about returning to the spotlight in her 80s, the power of exercise and life during lockdown.

Why did you decide to return to our screens during lockdown?

Joe Wicks was wonderful and motivated children in particular, but I was concerned about us older people.

I realised many were self-isolating, as I was, and many were very lonely and had a lack of a lifeline – that’s why I concentrated on exercises for people with perhaps limited mobility, and those who maybe haven’t exercised for a while.

What are the main benefits of beginning an exercise regime?

When you do any form of exercise, there are four immediate benefits. The first one is strength – if you’re getting up from a chair, you’re using your quadriceps muscles, you’re keeping your legs strong.

If you’re lifting a can, you’re keeping your arms strong.

The next is that physical activity and lifting things keeps you supple, and if you’re getting up and moving, you’re improving your stamina and your cardiovascular system.

If you get it right and eat a reasonably good, mixed healthy diet, then chances are you’re going to keep in shape.

You seem to be as passionate about exercise as ever?

It’s so important to retain as much movement as possible, however limited your physical abilities are.

I know what a difference it makes. Life is so much richer if you’re physically fit. Chances are you’ll be mentally very fit as well.

I’m very, very aware of how exercise – moderate exercise that is, I’m not talking about going to the gym and pumping iron and all that business – is important to maintain your good health.

What about those people whose movement is perhaps quite limited these days?

It’s surprising how much you can actually do sitting in a chair.

This includes weights workouts using cans rather than dumbbells, and strengthening activities using exercise bands or even an old pair of tights.

You have osteoporosis and wrote a book on how to reduce the risk of weaker bones. What are some of your tips to combat the condition?

I know how important it is to do weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, gardening, putting weight on your spine, hips and legs and lifting up, lifting your grandchildren.

You’re putting weight on your wrists, and your wrists, hips and spine are the areas where you could be affected by osteoporosis and have a fracture.


Diana Moran’s new exercise DVD, Keep Fit And Carry On, which was filed during lockdown, is available now.