Exercise truths from Sheilas' Wheels

I read the results of an interesting survey this week - apparently exercise is bad for you....

This diamond little bit of info came courtesy of girls-only insurance company Sheilas' Wheels giving licence for me to hang up my Nikes forever. Must remember to brush the dust off them first though.

Admittedly, Sheilas' Wheels - providers of that surprisingly catchy TV advert with the girls in pink dresses singing about 'bonza car insurance deals' - do not actually say that exercise is bad for you, but do reveal that one in five women have had an accident while exercising at home.

Causing an average £55-worth of damage, these unfortunate individuals have collided with their children or the television screen, tripped over rugs, smashed windows and slipped on the floor, all in pursuit of the body beautiful.

I can't say I've put that much oomph into exercising lately (I'm far too busy ironing, cleaning and errr freecycling) but it did take me back to the years BC (before children) when I bought a mini trampoline - or trampette - which I hoped would turn me into Posh Spice but allow me to watch telly at the same time.

Better Half soon put an end to that though. We lived in an old house at the time with wooden floorboards which he tactfully said I might crash through as I bounced myself down to a size zero.

He suggested using our cellar (stone floor - luckily it wasn't suggested I would crash through that) which I duly did. I'm not sure if it was the freezing cold in the cellar or that fact that due to total boredom I was trying to read a book at the same time as bouncing (!) but within a few minutes an agonising pain had shot through my back.

Unable to stand straight I crawled up two flights of stairs to our room where I collapsed back into bed, calling pitifully for a hot water bottle.

I took a day off work for this serious injury and I have to say it did curtail my enthusiasm for the trimming trampette somewhat. It stayed in the cellar - keeping the abandoned ab-roller company.  

So I can well relate to the victims in the Sheilas' Wheels survey. It's a risky business exercising and the pros and cons should, as ever, be weighed up carefully over a caramel slice and a glass of wine....