Every man is a fool or a physician after thirty.

Every man is a fool or a physician after thirty.

In youth we take good health for granted and often test our strength and stamina to their limits. People trek to the north pole, cross deserts, climb mountains and endure all manner of deprivations in pursuit of adventure or glory. We assume that the body will recover after a little rest and nourishment.

Perhaps today we might think that the age here should be forty, and in the near future fifty, but there comes a point in all lives when we realise that we are not invulnerable and really ought to look after ourselves a bit better. This is when we start reading the adverts on how to stay young and fit. Or we continue our mad ways and drink, smoke and overindulge in all lives' excesses and rush thoughtlessly to an early grave.

Who really regrets the wild times and excesses of youth? If we lived in cotton wool all our days, as a doting mother might wish, our lives would be insufferably boring; but those who have reached the age of aches and pains sometimes wish they had been a little bit more sensible when young, perhaps striven a little less for unimportant goals, and kept more in reserve for an enjoyable seniority. Basically you make your choices and accept the consequences. After all, science might find a cure for everything - one day!