In a new section in Healthy New Albany Magazine, we talk to prominent national or community figures who have made their mark on Columbus in some way and learn about what they do on a regular basis to stay healthy. We had a chance to talk with author, historian and Jefferson Series speaker David McCullough.
Healthy New Albany: Are there any foods that you avoid or emphasize?
David McCullough: Many things I didn’t like as a child, I’m now very fond of. I eat much less meat then I used to, and I watch my weight, so I try not to eat as great a volume as I once did.
HNA: What are your favorite ways to stay active?
DM: I like to walk very much. I try to get a good mile or more every morning, first thing. I started doing that when I started writing about (President Harry) Truman, because he took a morning walk, and I thought, “If it worked for him, it’ll work for me.”
HNA: What do you like to do to relax?
DM: I like to paint. I highly recommend it to people, even if you’re not good at it. I think it’s essential for writers to paint. It teaches you to look, teaches you to see in a way you don’t normally look or see. I also love to read, love to travel, love to be with my children and grandchildren.
HNA: How do you incorporate wellness into your busy travel schedule?
DM: I really think my energy comes from the work itself; it comes from the experience of being in a different place, or hearing different ideas from people who are occupied in different enterprises, or working on different problems. (And) there’s nothing like good Dixieland music to restore your sense of vitality. I think it’s the fountain of youth.
HNA: Is there a therapeutic, mental-health component to your writing?
DM: Yes. I like to go to bed at night thinking that I’ve made something that didn’t exist when I woke up that morning. I would not want to be in work where I didn’t produce something.
