I need to tone up my entire body and would also like to lose half a stone. I run when possible but am very busy and don't have access to a gym, which means I often can’t squeeze a workout into my day. Are there any exercises I can do at home or just outside my flat?

answer

Of course. You don't need a gym to get in shape, just a little motivation and the desire to fit in activity whenever the opportunity presents itself. A well-balanced fitness routine involves three basic components:

aerobic endurance
strength
flexibility

If you practice a healthy diet in addition to exercising, that half a stone should disappear over time. Probably the best ‘quick-fix’ activity to burn calories and increase endurance is walking. It's convenient and all you need is a good pair of walking trainers. It's effective too. Try taking four to six 30- to 60-minute walks a week to achieve your weight-loss goals. The faster you walk, the more calories you’ll burn. Try walking at a pace that makes you feel a bit breathless but not so much that you can’t carry on a conversation. And since you have a busy schedule, you don't have to do your entire walk at once. It's OK to split it up into three ten-minute spurts.

You can also buy some exercise videos and keep them in the tape player, so whenever you have a spare moment you just hit play and work up a sweat. We recommend Firm It Up with Suzanne Cox (£15), Cindy Crawford’s A New Dimension (£11.99) and Lorraine Kelly’s Figure Happy (£12). You can order all three tapes through www.amazon.co.uk.

Most bookshops will sell dozens of other toning and flexibility tapes, and you can find Dynabands, the exercise bands you can use to tone your legs and arms, for around £8 at your local sports shop.

Click here to go to The Shape Up Challenge start page.

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Working out at home