The feelings of loss and mortality that have inspired these articles

THE PUBLICATION TIME of this article coincides with the penultimate day of my fitness challenge and, therefore, the end of this series. I might celebrate with a few beers, but I have become so accustomed to healthy eating and rigorous exercise that I plan to continue this lifestyle indefinitely, with scope for occasional indulgence. Maybe it’s a mild form of OCD, but the threat of missing a workout or straying from the prescribed diet has become enough to induce a little anxiety. Dropping such a rigid system suddenly will no doubt feel strange.