IN my last column I wrote about improving your general cardiovascular and aerobic fitness.

By taking up an activity that gets you puffed out for at least 20 minutes (walking, running, rowing, dancing, swimming etc) you will increase the size, strength and function of your heart.

As your heart becomes fitter it will pump more blood with each beat, getting nutrients around the body to your organs and muscles.

Getting puffed out will also make your lungs stronger. As we become fitter we grow more tiny blood vessels in our lungs. These improve our ability to take in the oxygen which help fuel our cells.

We get puffed out through exercise because our body is demanding more oxygen to fuel the muscles. When the muscle cells create energy they also give off waste gases which is returned through the bloodstream to the lungs to be breathed out.

The improved capillaries in your lungs make this process more efficient. Cardiovascular and aerobic exercise help regulate your weight, improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and help maintain a healthy level of insulin.

You can easily gauge if you are working hard enough to get these health benefits by using the Borg Scale of Perceived Rate of Exertion (PRE). On a scale of 1-12, where 1 is lying down doing nothing and 12 is flat out as hard as you can work, aim to exercise around level 5-6 if you are new to exercise and then progress to level 7-8.

Recent research has also revealed that short intense bursts of 20 seconds at level 10-12 are very beneficial for our cardiovascular system too. When did you last run for a bus?

Alongside CV fitness we should do some simple work to build strength. Age is not an issue here. Can you get off the sofa without using your hands to help you? No? You need to do squats to build up the gluteals and quadriceps – that’s your butt and thighs.

Can you easily get up from the floor? Push-ups will strengthen your arms and chest. Can you climb a few flights of stairs? Let’s work the hamstrings and buttocks. Carry heavy bags home? You need to work on your ‘shopping muscles’: the biceps.

A big motivator for me was to be able to keep up with my children, and now with my grandchild. Or maybe you want to have great posture and confidence? It’s all about strength. Spending ten minutes a few times a week to improve your strength soon gives you rewards.

Building strength is not necessarily about becoming ‘muscle bound’ or heaving weights around. I’m talking about functional strength, enough strength to easily perform everyday tasks with a bit left over in reserve.

Strength and flexibility must go hand in hand. It’s no use having awesome abs if you can’t bend over and tie your shoelaces… or get off the sofa unaided. Please check with your GP if you are new to exercise.

Patricia Issitt is a movement therapist and Pilates instructor who runs the York Pilates Space