Let's get physical

I'm not one for exercise to be honest.

I know with MS that I really, really should. The benefits are well documented.

The MS Trust's website explains them clearly: "There have been many studies to look at the benefits of different kinds of exercise for people with MS. It can be hard to compare these studies, but they have in general shown exercise to be valuable for people with MS.

Moderate exercise has been shown to improve strength, mobility and bowel and bladder function for people with mild to moderate MS. Exercise is also helpful in helping maintain a healthy weight. This reduces your chances of acquiring co-morbidities, and can also reduce the impact of some MS symptoms, such as pain and fatigue.

Exercising is good for the mind and brain, not just the body. In general, exercise has been found to be neuroprotective, to improve symptoms of depression, improve cognitive processing speed, visuospatial memory, executive function and cognitive flexibility. These boosts can last for several days after exercising."

So, many excellent reasons there for pulling on my plimsolls and getting moving. But I just never really have - I've comforted myself that walking my daughter to school, doing the housework and having the occasional swim is enough. But I know it really isn't.

So it is with some surprise that I now find myself getting up every morning, stepping into my shorts and enjoying an online PE lesson courtesy of lockdown PE teacher Joe Wicks.

It started as a replacement sports session for my daughter while she's off school - but she gave up after a couple of weeks. I, however, haven't. Some of the exercises I can't do, and I adapt these for what my body can manage, but I'm really, really enjoying it.

Maybe all I needed was to be told what to do by an overly-enthusiastic curly-haired sports demon. Who knows? But it seems to be working - four weeks in and all but one session followed (we missed the first lesson, sorry Joe)

So thank you Joe, I hope it's doing me some good. And if (as the internet tells me) it takes 66 days to form a new habit, then we've still got a fair few weeks before exercise becomes a regular thing in my life.

But here's hoping Joe Wicks will help it become a fixture. Or, infact, a Wixture (I'll leave now.)

:: Let's get physical by Olivia Newton-John