For most people, the word exercise conjures up images of sweat drenched clothing, agonised expressions on faces and mile upon mile of pavement pounding. For years, we've been following the old motto of 'no pain, no gain'. This approach may be necessary for athletes and their training, but it is not the case for the average person simply wanting to improve their level of health or lose weight.

The intensity at which you exercise should be relevant to what you are trying to achieve. To improve fitness, the intensity of each session needs to be between 65 - 70% of your maximum effort. However, for better health or weight loss, you only need to exercise at about 50 - 65% of your maximum.

A basic indicator of intensity is the talk test - if you can't maintain a conversation with somebody while you are exercising, then you are probably working too hard.

How often and how long we exercise is of greater relevance to exercising for health than the intensity of the exercise. We should aim to do at least 30 minutes every day, not necessarily all at once as two or three sessions will provide the same benefit. If exercising every day becomes impossible, try to miss only one day at a time.

By keeping the intensity down, exercise can be an enjoyable, relaxing and rewarding part of your day. After a while you may find the day doesn't seem complete without exercise. Then you know you are winning.