Get active: Get a personal trainer

A good personal trainer will get to understand your limits, and push you right to them

Explain it to me: For many people a personal trainer is the best way to guarantee reaching your fitness goals. When you know there's someone waiting for you at the gym, it's much harder to give it a miss. Personal trainers can be expensive but a good one will work with you to create a tailored regime that is realistic and fits your lifestyle.

Where do I start: Open Google and search for gyms near you, personal trainers that have studios near you or personal trainers that can come to your home. The closer they are, the more likely you are to go. Recommendations from friends are worth following up.

Costs: The cheapest way to get a personal trainer is to join a gym. Most gyms will offer a few free sessions with a PT when you join, so the gym you pick will determine your budget. Sessions with trainers in their own studios or at your home can cost anywhere from€20 to €80 an hour, but most will do a reduced rate if sessions are bought in bundles.

Top tips: Be honest. Personal trainers will usually start by taking your measurements and asking you questions about your diet and current exercise regime before hitting the gym floor. They may also ask you about different factors in your life such as work, sleeping patterns and any medication you are on. Tell the truth. They can't provide you with a good plan unless they have the full picture

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Trust them. A good PT will get to understand your limits, and push you right to them. They know what they are doing, so get ready to sweat.

Keep it up. After a few sessions a great PT will set you up so that you can continue to train on your own; the gym membership comes in handy at this point.