HANDS up everyone who's decided to get fit at home and bought an exercise bike, rowing machine or motorised slimming belt, and then after using them once stashed them in the garage never to see the light of day again.

I'm guilty on three counts.

Lots of tackle is sold, supposedly to help keep figures in trim, but it's expensive and totally unnecessary.

After rowing across the living room a couple of times I'd had enough, my wobble belt was a total waste of space and the step machine, picked up cheaply at a car boot, was thrown to the back of the tat cupboard.

Why buy all this stuff when its simple to exercise without them by doing something useful like housework, digging the garden or walking the dogs?

If you must have a bike you might as well pick up a second hand proper one and see some sights at the same time instead of pedalling like mad to get nowhere.

Having said that I did that too, just a fold-up shopper, but I had to get off to walk up the hill to my house. So that too is now rusting in the garage.

I'll stick to housework and walking.