Personal UN-Fitness.

Personal UN-Fitness.

It's a bit of a coincidence that my friend Richard chose to put up his blog-post about personal fitness today.

I took three of my young grandkids to the park, yesterday. They are aged between 8 and 11 and typical kids. "Chase me, Granddad!" Went the cry - from I forget who - but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter 'cos chasing anybody is a long way from my thoughts. But I chased! I "chased" about five yards (always with one foot on terra firma) and then I had to resort to walking again.

When we eventually got to the swings, slides and climbing frames, I watched over them as they scrambled like a troop of monkeys all over the bars and rope ladders. It was then that I thought: "I wonder if I can still do chin-ups?" Not so long ago I could do chin-ups all day long, I could even at one time do single hand chin-ups (there's a knack to it).

Well I walked, nay, I strode up to the seven foot high bar and reached up to grasp the metal with both hands....... and I ricked my shoulder. Undeterred I had another go and grasped the bar with both arthritic hands.

I had hold of it. I held it tight and strained my rusty muscles to lift me up to chin the bar. I might just as well not have bothered 'cos I just couldn't get my feet to leave the ground, at all.

Well, I am nearly as old as Richard's dad.