I STARTED a dance class a few weeks ago at Body In Motion in Horwich, because I love to dance and I secretly always wanted to be a backing dancer for Janet Jackson.

I’m a total beginner and I’m not out to win any trophies but I have so much fun and always feel great when I leave.

I think there’s a big misconception when people are starting out on their health and fitness that they have to go to the gym and do endless hours of cardio and weightlifting six days a week.

The mere idea of it makes some people want to take five and sit down with a cup of tea.

I come from a strength and conditioning background and there’s no denying that lifting weights is the only way to build lean muscle tissue and therefore change body shape significantly.

But for someone who is a beginner and doesn’t like the idea of heading to a gym to push some iron, then there has to be an alternative.

During the initial stages of behaviour change in this incident what is important is the individual gets moving, doing something they find enjoyable so they will go back and do it again and again.

The activity becomes something they look forward to and it becomes a part of their daily/weekly routine.

Don’t let the idea of going to a gym put you off and stop you from taking action.

There are so many other ways you can get your body moving and be active.

Walking, running, climbing, yoga, boxing, football, netball and even bodyweight workouts at home.

The sense of achievement, the release of feel-good hormones and the social interaction are all really positive and allow you to socialise and meet other like-minded people.