23.12.2012

My relationship with sport and exercise is strained, to the say the least. At school I was the one who was always always picked last for every team. You know how every class has a fat girl? No, it wasn't me. The Fat Girl* was way better than me at everything. On cross country runs they used to send her back after she'd finished, just to spur me on!

I couldn't run, swim, throw, catch, or do anything involving a bat and ball. My P.E. teacher hated me; she used to make sure I was as far away from the action as possible, where I couldn't cause any trouble. So I got freezing cold and no exercise - a bit of vicious circle then.

The only thing I really enjoyed was dance. We had an option to do it for one term and I was hooked. But it was felt not to be "proper" exercise (it was indoors for a start and didn't involve being hit in the teeth with a wooden stick) so it was dropped, sharpish. And that was pretty much it for me and exercise and I developed a proper sneery attitude towards anything to do with it. I was a girl who read books and looked down on sporty girls - as if the two were mutually exclusive.

But in the end you really don't feel good about it or about yourself. I have two children (10 and 8) and I can't keep up with either of them. My daughter loves sport and I will really have to drop the attitude if I'm to support her. I could also do without that look of pity she's begun to give me when I'm out of breath running for a bus.

A few friends have started to push me towards various classes. One insisted I go along to a boxercise class (which was quite a laugh) but I ended up punching the teacher in the face - it was an accident! Suffice to say I haven't been back; didn't think I was welcome.

So, my defences are being broken down but there is a very long way to go. Ladies, what I really need is a bunch of mates to do it with me. I need your help, support, advice and often a good kick up the backside. I'll try out anything you might come up with in the interests of changing my habits and my attitude and I'll let you know all the good bits and the bad bits. If you'd like to make 2013 the year you change your attitude to exercise and find out what the people who actually enjoy it are on about, let's do it together - it'll be a whole lot more fun!

*Yes, The Fat Girl had a name and I do remember it but, in the interests of protecting the innocent...

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