Fit enough to enjoy life

Fitness after 50: Walter H Ettinger, Brenda S. Wright, Steven N. Blair. Human Kinetics 2006. 240 pages paperback, large format, £13.99. ISBN 0-7360-4413-4

NOBODY KNOWS WHY we age, but we do know that there are measurable differences in our physical condition from the mid-30s onwards. As all veteran racing cyclists know, regular exercise, some of it intensive, slows down and reduces the decline. The result is that we have Over-60s riding 10 mile time-trials in less than 20 minutes. Anyone who trains for 200 miles a week on the bike and rides 30 or so races during a year won't need much advice on keeping fit.
This book is for those who haven't been wedded to their bicycles all their lives, and it's a very good guide to getting reasonably fit and staying that way. The pictures of clogged arteries and bone affected by osteoporosis are enough to make everyone want to get out there and go for a brisk walk now. Enlarge them and put them on your kitchen wall. It's a big handsome book, illustrated in full colour, with the text in a very readable 14-point typeface, but after a few weeks on the weights you'll probably be able to hold it unaided.
You may not need it yourself, but you probably know someone who does. What's the point of living ten years longer unless you're fit enough to enjoy the extra time? Excellent value.

Ramin Minovi