Call Me Bambi!

Although this is an invaluable skill and reflects the realities of this sport, it does not inspire me with confidence.

It also does not bode well for my hoped-for future second career as an undiscovered talent on the ice who takes gold at the Winter Olympics.

I've always fancied myself as an ice skater - being able to get round the rink on my once or twice a year attempts when I was younger, but I'm no better than your average beginner.

Ice skating is a sport that may have fallen by the wayside in recent times since Torvill and Dean hung up their skates, but thanks largely to their revival on Dancing on Ice, the sport seems to be back in vogue.

I probably haven't skated at all in the last four years so I'm not expecting perfection, but the (very!) cold, harsh reality is ice-skating is hard work. The stars of the television show make it look much easier than it is.

Anything Adam Girling, an instructor at the Link Centre, in West Swindon, tries to teach me feels like I'm learning to walk - it really is like Bambi on ice.

He says it is very important to have your body weight in the right place and on the right part of the foot.

Any natural grace I might have quickly evaporates once I set foot on the ice and though my instructor is patient, it must be excruciatingly slow for him.

As a former figure skater he knows what it takes to get to the top and is forthright in his criticism of the celebrity skaters on TV's Dancing on Ice who are not really skating most of the time he says.

However, Adam does acknowledge skating numbers are on the rise largely thanks to the programme With that comes high expectations especially from young skaters (and me!).

"They can get a bit upset because they're not picking it up as quickly as they want," he said.

I can understand that frustration - do not aspire too high, too soon because it is a sport where your expectations can easily be disappointed.

However, skating is certainly more fun than your average gym work-out and though it may not be as intense, there is no comparison to gliding around on the ice while watching other people making fools of themselves.

There is always one person who thinks they are the next Jayne Torvill or Christopher Dean and is determined to prove it to everyone else on the ice.

With the right instruction and a lot of dedication anyone can skate - or so I'm told but to get any real fitness benefit from it you would have to take it more seriously.

I'm not sure I have the long-term dedication but skating is great fun and if you like a challenge this is a sport you simply must try.

Whether you are the person clinging desperately to the side or training at 6am it is an activity everyone can physically benefit from skating, just don't expect to be a pro overnight.

Though as Adam says: "If you love it, you'll always love it."