Next time you don’t feel like tackling that stairstepper or lacing up those trainers, look to your mum or daughter for inspiration.

Here’s what three fitness convertees had to say about how their kin helped them get fit.

1. The mum: Julia Comber, 56

   ‘My daughter Mary took me to a health farm and bought me a gym membership.’

   I never really had a proper fitness regime until my daughter took me to Champney’s health farm for a weekend. At first I was really worried about going – I imagined everyone would be dressed in designer outfits and look very sleek and posh. I was relieved when we got there because everyone was so normal. I didn’t feel out of place at all. It was so tranquil and I loved it.

   Generally, I don’t find it easy to relax and I think the health farm was the first place I was able to do so in years. I found I couldn’t get stressed about anything, even exercising. Mary and I went to some aqua aerobics classes and worked out in the gym a couple of times. I really enjoyed it, despite the fact I wasn’t sure what I was doing and found all the computer programs on the treadmills and bikes very confusing. I also went swimming a few times and by the end of the weekend I really felt as though I’d had some excellent workouts. It was fantastic and motivational because I had put on some weight over the past few years and this made me feel I was doing something proactive about it.

   When we came back from the health farm, I felt inspired to get fit and planned on joining the new gym near our house but I just never got around to it. I think I was worried that I wouldn’t fit in and would end up making a fool of myself. Then Mary came to the rescue and gave my husband and I a joint membership at the gym.

   I was pretty nervous the first time I went. It’s a huge place and there were so many machines, people and classes I wasn’t sure where to start. But the instructors there were so friendly they immediately put me at ease. They didn’t seem to mind how many times I asked them the same question and they checked that I was using the proper technique when lifting weights. After a few sessions, I started to get the hang of it.

Since then, I’ve been going to the gym twice a week. I use the pool, the weight machines and do aqua aerobics a few times a week. I’m confident enough to create my own workout without a trainer now. My next plan is to try one of the yoga classes. The gym has also become a bit of a social scene for me – I keep bumping into my neighbours and sometimes we even meet for coffee after our workouts.

Thanks to my daughter I am certainly fitter and stronger, but the main change I’ve seen in myself is my sense of wellbeing. Now I leave the gym glowing and feeling much more confident. I am definitely going to keep it up.

2. The mum: Sarah MacPherson, 52

   ‘My daughter, Cam, helped me step up my fitness routine by taking me to an aerobics class.’

   These days, I consider myself very active because I walk, run, ski, play tennis, ride, go to aerobics and do yoga. But I can honestly say that I would never have stuck to it or even done half of it if it hadn’t been for my daughter, Cam.

   I was active when I was younger, but like most people I started doing a bit less as I got older. This all changed when Cam took a real interest in keeping fit. She started going to the gym and doing aerobics classes and asked me to go with her one day.

   I didn’t want to do aerobics because I didn’t think I was co-ordinated enough. But I was really pleased that Cam asked me and I was also keen to know more about the things she was doing, so I decided to give it a go. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it and we had a real giggle together. We’ve kept it up and now I go on my own when she’s not around. I like aerobics so much I’ve even set up a class for the teachers at the school where I work.

   Cam started training for the London marathon a few months back during a time when I was trying to shift a few extra pounds. She suggested I go running with her and even though I hadn’t run for years I knew it was a great fat burner so I agreed. Now, I run about twice a week for around 20 minutes and it’s helped me to lose some weight.

   My daughter and I always chat about things we’ve been doing at the gym, fitness articles we’ve read and we give each other tips on certain exercises. I think it’s great that working out is a common interest for us. On the days when I don’t really feel like doing anything, having her around and knowing I’ll have such a great time exercising with her is all the motivation I need to get moving.

3. The daughter: Heidi Stanley, 19

   ‘My mum, Jane, helped me discover exercise through walking the dogs.’

   I used to hate the fact that my mum was so active. She always did loads of walking and cycling and she went to the gym constantly. My mum even has more home workout videos than pairs of shoes. The rest of my family is also really active and health conscious and I always felt like a bit of an outsider. I’m the one who always wanted to sleep until lunchtime and they all wanted to get up early and go hiking. I wanted to go on beach holidays and they wanted to go skiing. I always opted out of what they were doing and stayed at home and watched television instead.

   I never even thought about my body, health or fitness until a few years ago when I put on lots of weight. Even then, I didn’t really mind until I heard some people at school say I was fat. I was really upset, but just didn’t know what to do to lose weight. I thought if I asked my mum outright she might say, ‘I told you so,’ because our body shape is similar and she always said she had to work out to stay slim.

   Recently, mum told me she was really busy at work and that I would have to walk the dogs for her a few times a day. I was really annoyed but had no choice so I did it without complaining. I found I quite enjoyed it and liked being with the dogs. After two weeks of walking them regularly I started to feel better and more energetic.

   Soon, mum started walking the dogs again with me and even though I could have left her to it at this point, I didn’t. I really wanted to spend the time with her, as before that, it had always been my older brother and sister who’d done active things with her. When my mum suggested we take the bike and have one of us run with the dogs while the other one rode, I agreed because I wanted to carry on exercising with her.

   Our walk/runs were really funny at first. My mum might think she’s quite fit, but she’d never run before and we were both really bad at it. We seemed to spend most of the time swapping between running and cycling as neither of us could run for too long. But now we’re both much better and can keep going for longer.

   Up until this point, I never thought that my mum asking me to walk the dogs was a ploy to get me fit, but now I know it was. I wanted to be active and join in with the rest of my family, but I didn’t know where to start. I feel so much better now and am glad my mum has helped me realise that fitness should be an integral part of my life.