KEEPING fit is an important part of your health and well-being - and today we introduce a new columnist who will give regular advice on how exercise can make you feel good.

FOR former York City footballer Christian Fox, keeping fit is a way of life.

Now a personal trainer, nutrition advisor and fitness instructor, he devises exercise regimes for his clients which help them tone up and feel good.

From today, Christian will be contributing a bi-weekly column on this page, which will give advice on how sensible fitness and eating habits are a vital part of being healthy.

So what is it like to have a personal trainer? I met Christian at LivingWell Premier Health Club, in Nether Poppleton, York, where he works part time as a fitness instructor, to find out.

"The big benefit of a personal trainer is motivation," says Christian.

"Not standing over people, but educating them on their personalised technique and just achieving their goals."

First-time clients interested in Christian's services are given a free consultation, in which he establishes what they would like to achieve.

My mini-session with Christian started out on the running machine, where I warmed up for a few minutes with the machine set to a brisk walking pace. Then it was time for a few exercises with the stability exercise ball.

Under Christian's instruction, I balanced the ball on my back and used it to roll down the wall to reach sitting position. Back up and down again ten times, and I could feel the tingling in my leg muscles as they stretched and strengthened.

I was worried about how my puny arms and shoulder muscles would cope if Christian asked me to do any weightlifting - but he only gave me light weights and encouraged me to lift them with a slow, controlled movement. Balancing on one leg while lifting a weight could have been tricky, but again I used slow movements and managed not to fall over, which was a relief.

At the end of 20 minutes, I felt pleasantly stretched - with the calm, relaxed feeling exercise can give after a busy day in the office.

Christian, 25, played for York City for nine years before leaving the profession to become a personal trainer and nutritional advisor. His new life is proving extremely rewarding, he says. "It felt quite natural to go into something fitness-related after football," says Christian. "What's good about is you're basically helping people achieve their goals.

"The main thing (with writing the column) is educating people and sorting facts out from the myths. I think there are myths in the industry."

And the benefits of helping people get fitter are "unbelievable", he says.

"People become happier in themselves. The feel good factor is probably the biggest thing they feel straight away, even after one session."

Updated: 10:55 Friday, April 28, 2006