I read recently that in later life your chances of survival are increased if you have a higher than recommended BMI. We are advised to keep our BMI within a healthy range in order to avoid the development of obesity related diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease but actually it seems that a covering of blubber could be beneficial if you are over 65. This is of course down to your resilience when struck down by illness or when the winter cold sets in. If you have some fat reserves your body can survive for longer. A big bottom doesn’t just make people bootilicious. Subcutaneous fat, found on the bottom, thighs and hips, helps to improve the body’s sensitivity to the hormone insulin, which regulates blood sugar.

However, this doesn’t mean that your life’s work can be dedicated to getting fat in preparation for your twilight years. The opposite is very much the case if you are younger. A round middle can indicate that your organs are covered in dense visceral fat, and in order to reduce the incidence of this health baddie you need to eat well and exercise. The result of this is obviously a reduction of both types of fat. In fact a better indicator of your general health and likelihood to develop Type 2 Diabetes is your waist circumference. A woman’s waist shouldn’t be any bigger than 80cm and men should think about losing weight if their waist circumference is above 94cm. Find out more.

So, overall you should aim to be less fat all over until you get a bit older when you should try to remain trim but not worry too much about a spot of cellulite. You are somewhat protected from metabolic diseases by your bottom fat and are likely to be more resilient if you do become ill.

Ahh, the joys of spring! We’ve endured months of dreary weather with dark and rainy commutes, we’ve plodded through wet weekends, where the children drive you crazy, and we’ve lamented our dry, centrally-heated skin that longs to be freed and exposed to the fresh air. Now though, we can throw off our coats and make the most of the evenings as the clocks sprung forward last weekend.

 This is such good news for Mums like me, who are desperate to exercise outside once the little ones are asleep. The dark and cold doesn’t exactly stop me going for a jog or to the gym but there’s definitely more reluctance to put on Lycra in the evening if it’s no longer daylight. The lounge pants and lay z boy are much more alluring.

Now my health is improving (my husband and I have never been as feeble in our lives as we have been over the last few months) I’m going to grasp the opportunities that a bit more daylight offers. I went for a 2 mile power walk one evening last week, before the clocks changed, and really enjoyed being outside, building up a bit of a sweat.

I quite like the anonymity that darkness gives you when you’re exercising outside but I always feel slightly on edge walking past bushes. There’s a definite sensation that the bogey man could jump out from behind a tree at any moment. The reality is that it’s mostly runners, dog walkers and people popping out for a pint of milk, that go out after dark, but you never know what’s lurking round the corner.

Daylight brings less opportunity for would-be attackers, so thanks to the clocks changing we’re now free to embrace outside exercise in the evenings.  There’s no excuse for not chucking on some sweats and heading for the open road.  As it’s all too tempting to pour a glass of vino and flop on the sofa in front of the idiot box, put your running/walking/gym/whatever kit on before you even bath the children so that you’ve committed yourself to a sweat session. You’ll soon be running out the door shouting instructions to your husband to peel some veg and load the dishwasher…