Dear LPG,

I suppose that I can best describe myself as a woman of a certain age, and now that I no longer need to work every day, I seem to have reverted back to a stage that I last remember when I was at an all-girl secondary school. What I mean is that I have become part of a group of five firm friends who get together at least four times a week and share all our experiences and problems which is a good thing, because at least one of us is usually able to come up with the solution to each of the problems that any other might bring to the table, and we have so much fun together.  I am really grateful that our friendship was well established before lock down.

We have grown as a group and have a lot in common, and though we still feel young and active most of the time I can honestly say that one of the many consequences of retirement is that each of us getting a little larger without really knowing why. Until recently this has been a topic we have avoided, but the worst thing is that the forced lock-down of the past few months has resulted in our ‘piling on the pounds’. Perhaps that phrase is a little drastic, but there are no two ways about it, stepping on the bathroom scales is offering me some more depressing results these days and, even our video chats show me that I am not the only one affected. 

In a way I think that we are a representative group reflecting the state of the nation,  we have all heard what the Prime Minister had to say on the subject recently. We have been trying to come up with ideas about how to fix our common problem.  We found that shaming ourselves was quite effective and so while everyone else is busy discovering the outside world again, we have put some of the time that we have learnt to spend together online, taking a look at the many diet quizzes and we found  the secret is to take them together.  We have not actually started any specific diets but we have made some collective food choices and agreed to make some food changes.  We have, sort of, become our own health, lifestyle coaches and comparing notes is quite an incentive.

So, although we each live alone I can report that we are getting a little  thinner. Throughout the latter part of lock-down we have been meeting up online and our online shared exercise sessions are great fun; nothing too strenuous as we each have our own limits but with one or two watching while the others perform, there are lots of laughs and always someone watching to comment on anything that the ones exercising might be overdoing. It’s a good reason to get together and, even though the results are relatively minimal, I can report that we have all lost a little bit of weight and feel better for the experience. 

In the very near future we are looking forward to taking our exercise explorations beyond our respective front doors very gradually, but at the moment we continue to spend our days comparing notes on our meals and exercises, and it is definitely a slow process but it is working.  One more little tip, the best way not to damage your laptop when exercising s is not to sit too near to the computer!

So although there are five of us we have decided our most significant endeavour at the moment should be called ‘The 3 Fs’.  They are less fatness, more fitness and good friends.

HW, Catford.

HW offers s the quizzes that her friends used to compare notes…

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…and a few exercises of differing fitness standards to get started with.  As ever LPG would recommend that you check with your GP before trying the more strenuous ones.

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