Letter: Fitness without pain

Sir: I was interested to read Angela Lambert's description of the athlete Roger Black as 'someone supremely physically fit' (9 August). Since, unlike Mr Black, I have reached my middle years without a pin in my ankle, a hip that 'clunks out', constant fatigue, glandular fever or attention from surgeons, I feel my own exercise regime to be worthy of study: while sitting in a chair, the left hand turns the pages of a book and the right hand gently raises a glass of wine (red), this to be interspersed with regular gentle ambles with the dogs. Result: weight of 81 2 stone and everything in working order. I strongly recommend it to Mr Black, but it does need dedicated application to achieve results.

Yours faithfully,

J. A. COOK

South Nuffield, Surrey

10 August