We have a personal trainer who comes to our house four times a year. Her name is Kathy, and we love her. She is tough, but adorable. For quite a while now, she has been pushing me toward push-ups. First, she had me doing them from my knees, fifteen reps. I still do that. Last time she was here, we added planks. For those who are as uninformed as I was, you put your weight on your hands, with your arms straight and your legs stretched out behind you, and on your toes. That’s a plank. You hold that position for ten seconds. The next step, of course, is to bend your arms at the elbows and lower your chin toward the floor. That’s a push-up.

Recently, of my own accord, I’ve been trying to do the real thing. I can’t get as far down as I’d like, but it’s a start, and I was thrilled to do three in a row.

Then, this month’s AARP magazine came, and there was a chart that said women my age should be doing four to ten push-ups at a time. Until I saw that, I thought I had been doing pretty well.

I may have to stop reading the AARP magazine.