Although regular exercise can lower high blood pressure, burn fat and boost the immune system, 70 per cent of the adult population is sufficiently inactive to be classed as sedentary — which increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke by the same amount as smoking.

And even if you have been on your feet all day and feel exhausted when you get home, you won't have challenged your heart, lungs or muscles enough to benefit.

Lack of time due to work or family commitments, the cost of equipment or gym membership, or the lack of nearby facilities are often cited as reasons not to exercise. But there are ways around all of these potential barriers.

Simple steps such as involving family, friends and colleagues can be helpful, but the most important thing is to make physical activity a priority, schedule it in to your daily life and stop making excuses.

Fairly simple changes, such as walking upstairs instead of using lifts or walking short journeys rather than driving, can have a great effect on your health as three separate sessions of 10 minutes is the equivalent of one 30-minute block of exercise.

Many people are put off because they believe only vigorous exercise counts as healthy activity — but there is now strong scientific evidence that moderate-intensity physical activity is enough to bring about real benefits.

The real key to becoming more active and sustaining a healthy lifestyle is to find an activity, or range of activities, you enjoy. Not everyone sees exercise as fun and doing something you find boring just because it is good for you is very difficult to sustain.

Try out new sports or activities until you find something you like and remember the hardest part is actually getting your kit on and going out the door –– if you feel like you're too tired or just can't be bothered just go for a 10-minute walk.

And not only does exercise provide real health benefits, but it also releases chemicals in the brain that have a strong effect on your mood, helping reduce anxiety, stress and depression –– when you don't feel like exercising, remind yourself how good you will feel afterwards.