A little while back Trish (wife) and I were talking to a friend in the village (P), who told us that her son (C, 17) had been trying to do some weights and had been complaining about a bad back. She tried to tell him that he was doing it wrong, and got the ‘what do you know’ kind of responses.

Now, as it happens, Trish, as part of her athletics coaching does a weighlifting session on a Wednesday evening. She doesn’t limit this to just track and field athletes, and takes along one of our neighbours sons who is a rugby player. So, C was invited to a session to see how to do it properly. Not that C has any real sporting interest, he just wants to develop a ‘beach body’ as he calls it.

Of course it started off with the ‘I can lift a few ton’s no problem’ posturing… until he was shown correct posture in order to develop the muscles properly, and found he couldn’t lift anywhere near what he thought.

P informed us that C could barely walk the morning after his first session, his muscles ached so much. Which she found highly amusing. Until the following week. On the way back from the second session Trish told C that he should be drinking plenty of milk. When he got in C drank all the milk available in the house. And I mean all. P had the hump that there was no milk for her morning tea the following morning. Trish has also told C about eating fruit… and C has taken this on board, and eats loads of fruit now.

P is amazed. For years P has been trying to get C to drink milk and eat fruit to no avail. But, Trish tells him that as part of getting the beach body he needs to do it, and he does. P is now looking to see if Trish can find a way of linking a tidy bedroom to helping C develop his muscles…..

It is amazing how children will not listen to their own parents….. but if somebody else tells them it must be true. 

Oh well, I am now off to Hull. Nearly 4 hours of driving in the rain. Groan. Still it’s better than being in the middle east for six weeks, so I am not going to complain.