KICK-START A NEW YOU How I live the life of Riley

I’D always used the excuse I was far too big to be jumping around, but Strictly proved me very, very wrong.

And I discovered going to the gym for an hour three times a week really made a difference. But if you hate the gym, then there are other things you can do.

Perhaps you could drop the kids off at school and go for a long walk. Or walk to work? Or why not go for a bike ride?

Or do a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class at home in front of Youtube. No one needs to see you exercise...

All you need for home workouts are a few props. Do a minimum of 45 minutes a day to begin with, building up to an hour. Always warm up gently before starting.

Hold one 2-litre bottle of water in each hand (or light weights can be bought at Argos, Amazon or supermarkets). Bend your arms and lift the bottles 6–8 inches and down slowly until your muscles complain. Rest and do one more rep.

Hold the bottles of water in each hand and do 20 squats. Do 2 more reps, resting for 2 minutes in between.

Keep hold of one of the bottles and do 10 side stretches. Lift the hand holding the bottle above your head and reach diagonally towards your opposite side so you stretch from shoulder to hip. Keep your other hand flat against your side and slide it down as you stretch. Switch arms to do this 10 times on each side. Repeat twice and rest 1 minute in between.

Hold a plank (a face-down position where you rest on hands and toes) for 10 seconds, then rest for 1 minute. Repeat twice. Build up your time (I don’t want you to hurt yourself) so you can hold it for 1 minute, or longer. If you find the move too strong, drop to your elbows and/ or knees instead of being on your toes.

Speed-walk up and down the stairs for 3 minutes. Do 3 reps. Rest for 1 minute in between. Avoid socks or slippery shoes.

Do 2 reps of 20 opposite-knee-toelbow exercises, like a standing crunch. Rest for 1 minute in between.

Climb on and off the bottom step of stairs as quickly as you can. Do 3 reps of 2 minutes. Rest 1 minute in between.

Punch the air in front of you as fast as you can for 1 minute. Repeat 3 times, resting for 1 minute in between.

Do 50 star jumps at speed. Repeat 3 times, resting for 1 minute in between.

Lunge with the right leg. At the same time turn your body to the right and move your hands as if turning a steering wheel, so your left hand ends up in front of your face. Repeat on other side. Do 25 on each side. Repeat, with 1 minute rest.

Get zumba-ing. If you’ve done classes, you’ll know the basics. Do 10-minute bursts then rest before starting again! Look up sequences on Youtube.