As someone who likes sports generally and has on occasion, visited the odd gym, it was easy to be inspired to do a couple of sit ups and cut down on the fags after watching the Olympics.
I imagine gym membership will be well up over the coming months, as the fatties strive to be the next Jess Ennis and middle aged men attempt to be eighteen again.
I must admit, to my shame, as yet i have not watched any of the paralympics. But what inspiration will be taken from the games.
The government are currently assessing the needs and ability to work of people on disability allowance. We are hearing horror stories of people suffering from cancer losing their benefits. But the fact is there are hundreds, maybe thousands of people fit enough to work, who are simply sponging off the tax payers by claiming they cant work because they have a bad back, or asthma for example.
I hope these scroungers are sat on their plush sofas watching their plasmas and seeing the likes of Martine Wright. On July 7th 2005, Martine was in the London tube bombing, after 10 days in a coma she lost both her legs. This week she competed for GB in the women's sitting volleyball team. That is some achievement. Win or lose at the games, she can take pride in the fact that she has not decided to be a victim for the rest of her life and lay around wallowing in self pity or bitterness. She actually described herself this week as lucky.
Jonathan Fox, who has cerebral palsy won a gold medal in swimming at the age of just 21.
Jon Allan Butterworth lost his arm in a rocket attack while serving in Iraq. He is competing in the cycling at the games.
These for me are just some of of the truly inspirational stories of this summer. OK, take nothing away from the private school lot, that won us a shed of load of medals in London, they did remarkably well- but in comparison to the the absolute heroes that are representing their countries at the paralympics it was school sports day.
I just hope that like the government has apparently been inspired to kick start sports in schools by the success of London 2012, the many "disability" claimants are inspired to not languish at home.
Before i'm accused of being heartless,I know many many people, who would dearly love to work, are simply unable to due their disability or illness. Those people deserve to get benefits and have a right to the same quality of life as any able bodied person.
Its the spongers and scroungers that look for an excuse to do nothing because they think they deserve a better quality of life than people who have to work for a living, that i hope are inspired to get a life.
We have become a nation of lazy lay abouts wanting hand outs from the state and it is those leeches that have contributed to the state of the economy which now means people who want to work struggle to find a job. It is the generation of why should i's that have cost the remploy workers their hope of dignity,
So when the honours list comes round and her maj drapes medals on the achievers of this year, I hope that she acknowledges the contributions of the brave and the mutilated, the sick and the unfortunate that have indeed done us proud this summer.