Random reminder

Press, 5 March 1982, Page 23

Random reminder

STAY FAT It is no secret that a large number of people over 30 are pre-occupied with shedding excess weight. When a friend of ours, once a fine figure of a man, stepped on the scales and watched the blur of mounting kilos he decided it was time to join a keep-fit class. In due course our friend enrolled at the local stadium. For the first few weeks all went well as he puffed and panted through the programme. His fervour wained however, when attendance subsided and the men’s class was combined with the ladies’. The coach, who undoubtedly possessed a sense of humour, devised games which bore a resemblance to the ones played at primary school. “Come on, throw the ball through the tunnel.” bellowed the coach at the mixed line-up.

When it was our friend’s turn he overbalanced as he released the ball and knocked a voluptuous blonde off her feet. Next came a game of bar-the-door which ceased because the ladies made half-hearted attempts to tackle the men. But the height of humiliation came when the men were asked to pick-a-back the ladies in a series of running races. Our friend was paired with a middleaged housewife of voluminous proportions. It must be said, however, that the lady did apologise before she mounted. As our friend, bent double, huffed and puffed across the stadium floor there was an unexpected power cut . . immediately followed by shrieks and shouts. In the confusion our friend tripped and he and his mount fell on a heap of tangled, sweating bodies. It’s not surprising that these days he prefers to exercise at home.