featured-image

Growing up I hated exercise, and would deliberately lose my navy knickers any time we had to do sports at school. But at 25, after the birth of my third child, I’d got so fat that my mother said: “You should really do some exercise.” This was the early 1960s, so that meant going along to her Keep Fit class in a church hall, which I loathed.

Yet when I later met a woman at a party, she took me to a jazz class in Covent Garden — and suddenly, things changed. In those days, the classes were being taught by the likes of Arlene Phillips; one morning, I even spotted Twiggy — who was gawky and awkward as a dancer — trying her best to follow the routine. For the first time in my life, it felt like fitness could be fun.



I enjoyed those classes so much that I trained as an instructor, ran my own studio for a period and, at 84, still teach four classes a week. I can also easily do the splits, and 20 press-ups, which isn’t half bad for almost 85. I’ve not gone more than two days without exercise for 50 years.

(Unfortunately, I never saw the woman who had introduced me to dance again; I wish I could have thanked her for changing my life.) As well as personal training, I do four classes each week for myself: a strenuous aerobic class for cardio, a dance class and two Pilates sessions. I train across disciplines to maintain what I call the three S’s: to be supple, strong and have stamina.

After your 30s, you start losing muscle, so even lifting light weights can help. You .

Back to Health Page