Why exercise daily?

Many of the health benefits of exercise – such as lowering cholesterol levels and boosting the metabolism – are short-lived and wane within 24-48 hours, so try to do something most days. The ideal workout should last at least 45 minutes, but shorter, more intense, 15-20 minute sessions can work just as well if you are prepared to go for it. The harder the better. A gentle cycle or walk to work is better than nothing but, on its own, won’t do much for your long-term health, even if you cover large distances. So pep it up by walking or cycling faster and adding in bursts of higher intensity, such as accelerating off at the lights and walking up the office stairs rather than using the lift.

Your best bet for getting the maximum return for the minimum effort if you are doing formal exercise – such as jogging or gym work – is to buy a heart-rate monitor. Keeping your pulse rate in the upper part of your ideal training range (based on age – see the instructions that come with the monitor) will mean every second of your workout counts and will prevent you overdoing it.

If you are pushed for time, try adding bursts of high-intensity exercise. Rather than jogging for 30 minutes at 10kph on a treadmill, try cutting the session down to 15 minutes and adding in five 60-second stints at 15kph, with a couple of minutes of jogging in between. This type of interval training is much harder work, but quicker and probably better for you.

The key basic ingredients are exercises to improve your aerobic fitness (jogging, cycling, stepping), exercises to improve your core stability (stomach, back and pelvic floor) and exercises to improve or maintain your strength (squats, lunges and weights).

You don’t have to work on all three areas each time or even set foot in a gym.

Try a 20-minute jog or cycle with intervals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday when you get home and before you reach for the wine bottle. On Tuesday and Thursday, lift some dumbbells at home and do your core stability exercises, while on Saturday you can play tennis/squash or go for a brisk walk. On Sunday you should rest – you have earned it.