Lazy? Me? Let's be honest. Everyone likes to lie around and do nothing. And yet it is sport that does us so much good. It builds up our energy and lifts our spirits. The trick to feeling better and losing weight is to do fitness. You don't have to go overboard. How do you get fit without having to become a competitive athlete?

Motivate yourself

We are our own worst enemy when it comes to sport and exercise. We all know how easy it is to swap a long run for a good TV film on the couch. How can you overcome your inner couch potato and get yourself moving?

The number one motivation is to set yourself fixed goals. Don't start with a fitness plan without first knowing what you want to achieve. Write your goals on a piece of paper that you hang on the wall where you can see it, tell your friends about them and keep a diary of your progress. Reward yourself for every goal you achieve. Make sure that your goals are not too ambitious, but that you can achieve them.

There are days when you find it particularly difficult to get going. In this case, only train for five minutes at a time until you are motivated by yourself.

• Exercise or sport should be fun so that you don't have to push yourself so hard. Here are a few little tricks:

• Do your gymnastics exercises while watching your favourite TV shows. Also, don't use the remote control to change the channel, but get up and go to the TV.

• Get a dog. The dog will "force" you to go out every day.

• Sign up for a sports club. It's more fun in a group and the prospect of meeting friends will motivate you to go.

• Involve your family. Go for a walk with your partner, take your children to the playground, go rollerblading with a friend.

• Walk to work instead of taking the bus and leave the car behind if you just want to go to the letterbox.

Choose simple exercises

For us lazy people, it's better not to train for a marathon, but to exercise for just 10 to 20 minutes three times a week. Try these simple exercises:

• Jogging

• Walking

• Swimming

• Jumping jack

• Push-ups

• Cycling

• Shadow boxing

Utilise your working time

We spend a large part of our time at work. So simply incorporate some of your exercises into your working day. You'll quickly notice a difference in your energy levels, your concentration, your mood and your weight.

Here are a few tips:

• Get up and walk over to your work colleague instead of talking to them by email or phone.

• Sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair. This is also good for your posture.

• If you need to go to the toilet, use the one on another floor and take the stairs.

• Stretch once an hour.

• Find a café for your lunch break that is at least two blocks away and walk there.

• Walk around while you're on the phone.

• If you have your own office, store a few dumbbells in the drawer that you can take out from time to time.

Get started today

The hardest part of the fitness programme is getting started. Once you do, you'll feel so much better. Just because you like to lie on the couch doesn't mean you're lazy. Just incorporate a bit of fitness into your life and reward yourself for it. And don't forget: start immediately.