Exercise

Your average Jane finds exercise boring, hard to stick to and tiring. You make excuses about not having enough time to fit it in, or having a bad knee/back/ankle. Going to the gym is expensive and motivating yourself to bop along to that keep fit DVD on your own is hard.

I've tried fitness DVDs. I just feel stupid in my living room, on my own, stubbing my toe on the sofa and hitting the light fittings with my arms swinging away. I do a bit and then have a cuppa, after all: I deserve it. I'll have a bag of crisps too, as I've worked off my fat quota and built up an appetite. I'm too tired to cook. I end up watching the shopping channels, or worse, going to sleep.

wii Fit - I do own one, although it's currently living at my Mother-in-law's house, who probably uses it about as much as I did. It's more fun with a few of you and again, space is an issue. 

I am contemplating going to the gym. I refuse to pay extortionate fees to use the facilities though. I think I may also benefit from a personal trainer to tailor exercise and toning to my needs. Not sure it's worth the money, but definitely something I'm keeping in mind. There are some PAYG services out there, and Groupon and KGB deals do occasionally do discounted memberships or trials. I recommend holding out for one of those, then it's not money down the drain if it doesn't work for you.

Dance studios and exercise classes - I used to be a dancer. I did it for five years. I used to LOVE it. I still do like dancing, it's something I will go back to when I am healthier and decidedly more flexible. The big craze at the moment is Zumba. Is it a fad? Not at all. It's great fun! It's exactly what I need to get in shape. A good cardiovascular workout for an hour with dancing, aerobics and having a giggle with the ladies. I'm going at least once a week and I feel better for it already. The adrenalin rush is amazing and it's encouraging me to do more exercise. I highly recommend this. You don't need to be co-ordinated, and you don't need to be slim, or a dancer. You just need to give it a good go, and want to have fun!

Swimming - anyone can do this. If you can't swim, then swimming lessons at your local pool will help. This is really good if you have aches and pains, and is the best way to exercise if you can't do aerobics or jogging. Again, you can make it fun: Take a mate, take the kids. They also have Aquaerobics and Aqua Zumba, although I've not tried those. They sound good fun.

Walking - something you can do today. I lost most of my weight the first time round by walking every day. I used to walk to town and back at a brisk pace. 30 minutes easy. I may start doing that again actually, now I'm in Rotherham. Harlow was great for walking as everything is flat. Yorkshire is very hilly, so it takes more out of you walking up and down. Good for the calf muscles though. Give yourself a reason to go out: buy a paper, take the dog round the block, push the baby buggy round. If it's cold - wrap up warm. If it's raining, take a brolly. No excuses. Just do it.