Discover the gym outside your back door

Research has shown that pruning, weeding and tending your flowerbeds can help you to de–stress and improve both cardiovascular fitness as well as building muscle strength, burning up to 400 calories per hour. All of this will contribute towards improving your tummy's strength and muscle tone.

Tips: A scheme called Green Gym, run by the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (www2.btcv.org.uk) gives those of us without our own garden the perfect chance to get our hands dirty and our bodies fit.