Exercise is one of the most important habits you can develop – it’s free, improves your life almost immediately, reduces the risk of major illnesses such as stroke and heart disease by up to 50% and lowers the risk of early death by as much as 30%.

You don’t have to start marathon training or weightlifting to feel the benefits if a more active lifestyle. Anything you can do to move more is a step in the right direction; just taking the stairs every day instead of the lift is enough to reduce the risk of premature death by 15 percent for people who spend most of their day sitting down. Find ways to fit activity into your day, such as parking further away than normal, cycling to work, going for a walk at lunch time or even doing squats while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.

If you want to start doing more intense exercise regularly, put your workout clothes out the night before so you have less of an excuse to back out the next day.