Ask any member of the so-called silver top brigade or persons of a ‘certain age’ as we like to label ourselves, and you will find consensus about one subject in particular. We all get that pang of guilt every time some lycra-clad gazelle sprints past us as we puff our way up the hill to the off licence! Off we go, the very next day, to the local sports outfitters to get our logging pants and designer t-shirt.

The brave amongst us even venture as far as the local health centre and risk life and limb manipulating the machinery on offer to enable our masochistic desires to be ‘fit’.

Our thoughts during these stressful times are often towards life insurance, however, my last visit to the gym made me thankful for my mobile insurance.

Off I jogged to the car and away to the health centre for my weekly tone-up. A quick 20 minute jog on the running machine, 15 minutes on the hiking machine, maybe 10 minutes on the rowing machine, a nice invigorating shower and home to Sunday Lunch. Ah yes, the perfect modern life.

All went to plan until I suddenly found that the running machine was actually running faster than I could keep up! The faster I ran, the faster it seemed to go and I simply could not get to the controls which are, needless to say, at the front of the contraption. Only when the helpful (and very fit in all senses) young lady on the next machine came to my rescue did I realise my limitations. I had inadvertently set the machine to a pre-programmed instruction to increase speed as a cardiac stimulation exercise. In my case, it was nearly cardiac arrest!

Once I had calmed down and tried to cover my embarrassment I realized that my trusty mobile phone had gone missing! Alas, the helpful young lady came forward yet again, only this time she was holding the mangled wreckage of what was once my phone.

“It got caught in the machinery when you dropped it” she proffered apologetically.

I made some cursory comment that it was all right as I had it covered by my mobile insurance. At least that did seem to impress her.

My replacement handset was duly sent and I was spared any convoluted explanations about the circumstances of the damage other than it was accidentally damaged whilst running!