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It is a good idea to move away from the concept of losing weight, what it all boils down to is changing size rather than weight, which is what most people ultimately desire. Try switching to a tape measure instead of a scale, this will be a more accurate measure of your progress.

Certainly changes to your diet are important, but no weight-loss program has much chance of succeeding without exercise. Aerobic exercises are ideal for this, they get the heart pumping, raising the body's metabolism and burning calories. What you should be searching for is an activity that can be performed frequently and easily, making it possible to integrate in to your lifestyle relatively smoothly.

There is one exercise that fits the bill - walking. Sometimes known as the king of exercises, walking burns almost the same number of calories as jogging, and despite the fact that it has the calorie-burning advantage of being weight-bearing, it is a low-impact exercise which means that there is minimum risk of injury. How many people do you know who were injured as a direct result of taking a walk? Compare this to runners and joggers, who sometimes miss out on their daily exercise due to strain or injury.

Walking is not only ideal for burning fat and toming up the body, there are a whole host of benefits available to the regular walker:

Low impact
Improves fitness
Improves circulation
Lowers blood pressure
Reduces stress
Increases muscle mass
Increases bone density
Boosts metabolism
Minimises risk of diabetes

Having learned all of this, how can you afford not to include walking in your daily routine? Don't attempt to rush your progress, start off with short distances and don't be impatient, you have the rest of your life to increase time and distance spent walking! The main target is to walk daily, making it a habit, so that the benefits you receive will be as permanent as your exercise program.

Walking is great because - other than a decent pair of shoes - you don't need any specialized equipment. You can start by simply stepping outside your front door, and if the weather is bad you may consider investing in a treadmill. Treadmills are great because you can perform your full daily routine without getting wet, and do something else at the same time - such as watching TV!

A great way to accelerate calorie burn is to set up a treadmill at the lowest rate possible - say one mile per hour - and stand on it while working at your computer. This slow pace may not seem worth it, but if you have frequent long sessions on your computer the benefits stack up, and operating the computer is surprisingly easy at this speed. Three hours could burn up to six hundred calories. You will need a new desk so that you can work standing up but it will be worth it!

Quit the excuses and get walking!

If you have never performed regular exercise before, or it is a long time since you last exercised, it's a good idea to visit your doctor to let him/her know what you intend to do, so that your doctor can advise on the suitability of this - or indeed any other - exercise.