OPINION: Sixty-year-old exerciser starts to question sanity

I’m sitting here puffing like a steam train. Anyone would think I’d just run the 100m for Australia in the Olympics.

To be honest I did — or it certainly feels like it. Come to think of it, any form of exercise feels like that to me.

So what insanity would induce me to think that, at the age of 60, it would be a great time to start exercising?

And why the hell didn’t I start 10, 20, 30, 40, even 50 years ago?

Actually, I did — sort of. Sport was compulsory at school. For many years I achieved a third in my age running race. Did I mention there were only three kids in the event?

I went on to play a bit of netball and hockey, but that was more about being part of a team and having some fun, so it didn’t really seem like exercise, and I didn’t take it seriously.

Enter station life, and the team sports went out the window, along with my enthusiasm to play sport, exercise by myself or, when they came along, with my kids.

Being the doting mum , I sent them out to exercise all by themselves, not because I didn’t want to do any kind of exercise but because I couldn’t keep up with them!

There was a stage when my daughter had me riding my bike down the creek every afternoon, so I wasn’t a totally lost cause.

Just under a month ago something in my brain short-circuited and I joined an online exercise program.

Now, walking the dog each morning is one thing — a leisurely stroll, listening to the birds and watching the sun come up — but this up, down, bend, stretch, reach and run business is on a whole new level.

Each day I get an email telling me I’m going to be planking, twisting, pushing up, squatting down, jogging on the spot, star jumping and more.

Online is the way to go because no one can see my contortions, hear my grunts, groans and occasional swear word, or know if I’m cheating and only did two rounds instead of three.

I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am kind of enjoying it.

Maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks — just don’t expect to see me keeping up with the young ones anytime soon.