I have just finished reading ‘Eat Sweat Play: how sport can change our lives’. It seemed a fitting read whilst the Olympics were on. The book concerns the involvement of women in sport. How for years sport had been considered unfeminine (apparently our wombs could have fallen out), the continuing sexism but also how women are reclaiming sport, not just in doing it, but by watching it, writing about it and even commentating on it. Although Match of the Day is still considered a step to far!

Some of the facts quoted in the book are fascinating. In 1920, 53,000 people turned up to watch women play football at Goodison Park. But the following year women’s football was banned. The ban only being lifted in 1971. Now 1971 may seem like the dark ages for my daughter but I can vividly remember it. Decimalisation and Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep. Another year I can recall, but with not so much clarity, is 1966. This was the year that a woman, Roberta Gibb, sneaked into the Boston marathon, a male only event, beating two-thirds of her fellow competitors. But it would to be another 18 years before women were allowed to compete in an Olympic marathon. Prior to the 2006 Winter Olympics women couldn’t compete in the ski jump because the FIS President argued it medically dangerous. It just seems bizarre that with all the available knowledge on the human anatomy such views could be taken seriously. Even in 2016 men can compete in 161 Olympic events whilst women lag behind on 145. Equality in sport is still a long way off.

One issue that is addressed in the book is girls participation in PE at school and how this can impact not just on their future health but may determine how successful they are in other areas of their life. Apparently, the majority of CEOs are athletes and look to hire fellow athletes. My own CEO has the majority of Scottish Munros under her belt. Being able to converse about sport also improves your career mobility. I am a big fail where this is concerned. What is a fantasy league?

I admit I was one of those girls who did what they could to get out of PE. And the lack of interest by the school in encouraging me not to bunk off suited me fine. But what if I had been encouraged? What if I had found something I was good at? Would my life had turned out differently?

What was disappointing in my reading of Eat, Sweat, Play is that whilst sexism, homophobia, disability and racism are addressed it is light on ageism in sport.

If young women are still being dissuaded from participating in sport then there is no hope for us oldies. Even though the shelf life of my uterus has well and truly expired. Most gyms are happy to take our money but not so happy when you turn up for a circuit class. I’ve seen the instructor’s face drop. Surely I must have lost my way going to the steam room.
But the benefits for older people participating in sport and exercise are huge. Not just at a personal level but to the economy.The cost of hip fractures, which are mostly due to falls, is £2 billion a year. Falls are caused by loss of balance and hip fractures by osteoporosis. Both of which can be reduced by regular exercise.

Personally I feel like an inbetweener. Too young to worry about falling over but too old to compete against most of my gym buddies. The answer is to compete against myself. So I have set myself some targets. By the end of November I want to be able to bench press 40kg, deadlift 95kg and run a sub 30 minute 5k. I have also signed up for my first half-marathon in April next year. It is on the birthday of my best friend who died last month. I can only hope that my uterus behaves itself.