Having read a lot lately about the health benefits of exercise, and the health dangers of sitting down too long, I resolved to spend less time at my desk and more time on the move.

I replaced my wristwatch with a Fitbit Alta HR, in order to track my level of activity. I have always liked walking – though since getting a car I no longer do all the supermarket shopping on foot – so there has been no difficulty in meeting my goal of 12,000 steps per day. Sometimes I do more than that, and get a message on my iPhone about being an over-achiever. The Fitbit also provides heart rate data, and I was pleasantly surprised to be told that my cardiovascular fitness is “excellent”. Another pleasant surprise was that, assuming the reports are accurate, I sleep better than I thought I did and usually meet my target of seven hours per night. Fitbit also measures other physiological variables, and displays text messages, as well as telling the time. Whether wearing this sophisticated technological device does any harm to the body is not known.

So far well and good, but I know my physical coordination could be improved, so I have joined a Zumba Gold class. According to Wikipedia, Zumba draws on diverse traditions including cambia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, hip hop, axe and tango. The “Gold” version is less strenuous than the others, being designed for older people and beginners. Along with about 15 other ladies of a certain age, and the occasional lone male, I spend an hour a week trying to follow the teacher as she dances along with the upbeat music. Hopefully, if I keep practising, the moves will become easier to follow and the class will be more fun.

I already quite enjoy Zumba, certainly much more than I ever enjoyed sports and gym at school. But, apart from walking and swimming in the summer, I have never been very keen on taking exercise for its own sake and am in no danger of getting obsessive about it. Besides, too much exercise can be bad for the joints and the heart. There are other ways to keep well, and a research finding that especially appeals to me is that proximity to a purring cat not only reduces stress, but can improve cardiovascular function and even help to prevent osteoporosis.