According to Hippocrates, the father of medicine, the four keys to health are diet, exercise, prayer and massage. When we think of health we usually think only of the first two. But Hippocrates obviously considered prayer and massage equally important as diet and exercise. Have you had a massage this week, this month, this year? I am no expert on massage but I do know that babies and small children who are deprived of touch do not thrive. Why should it be any different for adults? I had a massage on the weekend – my first for a year! I tend to think of them as an indulgence but as the massage therapist re-aligned my out of kilter hips and loosened up the tightly scrunched muscles I wondered whether I could have prevented the stress fracture in my foot if I had only got myself straightened and loosened up a few months sooner.

Over the New Zealand summer and autumn there are lots of triathlons for every level of fitness. The women’s triathlons that I do are fantastic. Around 800 women of every shape and size swim the 300 metres, cycle the 10km and run or walk the 3 km. It’s all about finishing. No-one knows who’s the fastest until you check the results on the web-site the next day. I like to do well so over the past six months I have been swimming, cycling and running quite a lot – and ignoring that crooked feeling as I ran. But it’s all come to a grinding (that’s my hips) halt! I think Hippocrates was right. I was doing the diet and prayer, probably over-doing the exercise, and completely ignoring the massage. Boy, have I paid for it! No running or long walks for three months. My endorphins have dropped and I’m struggling not to be grumpy. Perhaps some prayer, a massage and sipping a latte in the sun with my husband will help!