At the age of 79, most people might expect me to be slowing down, but I've found myself taking up a new challenge that I hope will improve my strength and balance.

Having trained for many years at a theatrical stage school practising day and night at a ballet bar then, years later, dancing and cartwheeling through the 60s and 70s with my group The Paper Dolls, I stayed very toned and healthy.

Through the years have tried reform Pilates, and I’ve always dabbled with Yoga and remained quite flexible, but as time has gone by, I realised I needed much more. Cleaning my teeth on one leg was just not going to be enough!

Last Christmas was the changing point. I tripped and fell - whilst perfectly sober at the time. I didn’t hurt myself but was astounded when I found myself holding on to chair to pull myself up from the floor. lt was time to act—move it or lose it, as the saying goes.

I thought weightlifting was for athletes or body builders and I had always feared bulging biceps; how wrong I was.

I’m not a gym person, and I don’t enjoy large, busy classes, so I preferred working with a personal trainer. After a friend’s recommendation, I found Scott who runs Progress in Lymm. When I first started the sessions, he was careful to use quite light weights - 4 /5 kg - but as the months go by, the weight has built and I now can lift over 1000 kg in a session.

It’s not about competing with anyone else it’s about improving your own strength and wellbeing week by week. We always start with warm up exercises then progress to repetitions of Goblin Squats, Romanian Deadlifts, Bear Planks and all sorts of delights. I do an amazing Hip Thrust, but I loathe side planks. Scott changes the disciplines every 6 weeks, working on different parts of the body and this keeps things interesting.

The change is gradual but there’s no quick fix when we lose muscle mass, and weaker muscles make everyday activities – such as climbing the stairs or getting out of a chair more difficult.

The biggest and most important reason to keep active is to avoid those pesky falls and fractures. Severe muscle weakness can make it harder to live independently.

The message I want to share with fellow boomers is that it’s never too late to start something new. Age should not be a barrier to try something different. We may get older, but we can still surprise ourselves.

Please don’t think for one minute that I have it mastered. Some days I don’t want to make the effort – but I can honestly say that I always feel revitalised after the hours class.

I have now bought some weights myself so I can practise at home, the plus is that I can listen to Boom while I am training.

The truth is that getting older brings challenges. It isn’t for cissies, but it is much better than the alternative, so give it a GO!