What beautiful weather have we had over the past couple of weeks the sun has been shining and I have been still working hard at my fitness. It's been a struggle with the heat but I'm not complaining – I've still worked to my best ability and still gave 100 per cent.
The weather has been so good that at the leisure centre we have had some classes outside which has been great.
I met with Tom this week for my fourth review: wow, I'm doing great, I'm so pleased with myself… this is what Tom has to say…
"Ever since Harvey started using Glastonbury Leisure Centre, he has gone from strength to strength, he now does up to four classes a week as well as twice a week in the gym. He has also agreed to join Wells under-13s rugby next season. All of these achievements are all down to Harvey's hard work and dedication and may long it continue. As I want him to continue to exercise for the rest of his life.
"At the moment Harvey is currently on his fourth programme and he is doing really well, he is now doing up to 10 minutes running on the treadmill as well as completing 2,000 metres on the rowing machine. Harvey can also now hold the plank up to 45 seconds: all of these achievements show how far Harvey has come in a short space of time.
"Harvey has shown what can be achieved through hard work and he has also helped inspired three other kids of his age to come down to the leisure centre and give exercise ago."
I would like to just say a big thank you to all of the readers who read my first column three weeks ago and have sent me best wishes and cards in the post and even stopped me in the street. All the wishes are truly remarkable. So thank you I'm really grateful. I will keep you all updated on my fitness in two weeks.
BEN the 11-year-old border collie is testament to the fact that keeping yourself in shape definitely does pay off, despite having a slightly sore start to the year.
Ben came to see us in January as he was very lame on his left back leg. When we examined him it became obvious that it was his hip that was causing him a lot of pain. Ben was already on anti-inflammatories for osteoarthritis in the joints of his back legs so we felt it likely that he had simply exacerbated this condition.
We hoped that rest and pain-relief would gradually settle things down so he was sent home with some additional pain-killers, safe to use alongside his anti-inflammatories, and his owners were instructed to keep him confined.
One week later Ben was still really struggling and was in a lot of pain with his left hip. By this time the muscles in his affected leg were starting to become visibly weakened due to lack of use and it was evident that more action would be necessary. As such we arranged to admit Ben for anaesthesia and x-rays of his hip to assess exactly what was going on.
Ben's x-rays showed a noticeable difference between his two hip joints. The bone around the left hip was thickened and contained new bony spikes, a common development in joints affected by osteoarthritis. What was also very concerning was that the hip joint appeared very loose, with the thigh bone not sitting at all well in the hip.
These findings showed us why Ben was sore but the important decision remained as to how we were going to improve things for him. There were surgical options available, but these were very invasive for him and so we wanted to try a more conservative plan.
Ben is certainly a large dog, which does increase his risk of developing problems with his joints, but we also felt that he was carrying a little too much weight as well. And being overweight has an even greater effect on the risk of osteoarthritis. With this in mind we decided to tackle his condition on 3 fronts:
1. Firstly we wanted to reduce his weight so less pressure had to be taken by his sore hip. We selected a specific veterinary weight loss diet to achieve a cut in his calorie intake while still keeping him satisfied, giving him plenty of protein to look after his lean muscle mass and providing the right levels of all his vital nutrients.
2. Secondly we ensured that Ben had good pain-relief and we kept him as comfortable and mobile as possible with a combination of pain-killers.
3. Finally we structured his exercise to aim to gradually strengthen the muscles that support his hip. We did this with the introduction of swimming at a specialist hydrotherapy centre.
The regime was not going to achieve instant results and was going to be hard work at times for Ben's owner. However, she was more than prepared for this and she set about instituting his new regime.
We examined Ben again after three months of his diet and hydrotherapy work and he was almost unrecognisable when he walked back in. He had lost a considerable amount of weight and also, most importantly, walked in much more comfortably, with the muscles of his left hind leg very much stronger. The improvement was more than even we had expected – entirely down to the hard work that had been done to get him into shape and the expertise of the hydrotherapy centre.
Ben's case definitely shows that keeping in shape and eating well can definitely pay off. Results always take a while but fortunately for Ben his owner was very dedicated and all their work has hopefully prevented him from having surgery.
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common conditions that we see on a day to day basis in dogs and cats. People are often not aware that there are many things that can be done to improve the condition – many of them simple to do. If you feel your pet may be suffering with the condition then ask your local vet for advice.
Martin Law, Shepton Veterinary Practice
WHEN you put one of the coolest singers in the country into one of the coolest venues, you can't go wrong.
Bryan Ferry had an affinity with the real Avalon at the Glastonbury Extravaganza on Sunday night – just as he did 30 years ago when he named one of his band Roxy Music's most successful albums after the mystical isle.
Nowadays he has a 1920s style jazz orchestra named after him and they opened proceedings with boppy instrumental renditions of Do the Strand and then Avalon's title track.
But the huge crowd at the abbey had come to see the man himself and his arrival on stage to accompany them on Love is the Drug was the moment they had been waiting for.
He may be well over 60 now, but he's still a heart throb for many – as the lady next to me demonstrated when she greeted his arrival on stage with "I'm here Bryan, I'm here."
The first half of the show featured Roxy hits such as Oh Yeah and the ever-popular Jealous Guy, where Bryan whipped out his harmonica, as well as some highlights from his 2007 Dylanesque album, of songs originally recorded by Bob Dylan, such as Knockin' on Heaven's Door. He also sang Same Old Blues in tribute to its writer JJ Cale who died just two weeks ago.
The Bryan Ferry Orchestra and four very sparkly dancers entertained while Bryan took a ten-minute break before storming back for the climax of the set, notably Let's Stick Together, which featured all the women at the front taking on the Jerry Hall siren-screaming part with gusto.
At the end Bryan seemed to be enjoying his Avalon moment so much, he was reluctant for the gig to end and if the fireworks hadn't started up, he'd probably have treated his fans to more hits.
Earlier, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel had drawn the crowd to the stage by opening with the instantly-recognisable Here Comes The Sun, which was indeed still shining brightly. He enjoyed teasing the audience that many of them appeared to be grandparents and older than him.
The rest of the set was well-received, though some fans bemoaned the omission of his hit Judy Teen. But all was forgiven when Come Up and See Me struck up. Steve Harley implored the audience to get out of their seats and dance and it certainly worked.
Openers for the evening's entertainment had been the youthful Corelli Quartet, who set the civilised tone for the evening which followed.
