21 OCTOBER 1978, Page 19

Fit for work

Sir: I deplore equally the Sunday Times's crowd of rentajoggers and Geoffrey Wheatcroft's muddled justification for his own laziness (Spectator, 7 October). The whole point is that we are built for exercise of a violent nature and we need it. One doesn't run or play sports in order to 'keep fit', but to be oneself — i.e. neither gregariously nor individualistically neurotic. I wonder what fine writing might emerge from the Wheatcroft pen if he bothered to put some oxygen into his brain?

Phillip Hodson 58 The Pryors, East Heath Road, London NW3