Q. How should I start exercising?

A. With summer in full bloom and the weather warmer, now is an ideal time to start exercising a little bit more, getting outside and enjoying our beautiful countryside.

You may decide to start walking on the fells.

Alternatively, you may be inspired to start jogging, having seen other runners out and about, or decided to start going to the gym.

If this is you – brilliant – whatever you do will only improve your overall health.

But there are a few things which you should put into place before you start your exercising. The first thing is not to do too much at the start. Make sure you stretch properly and don’t “try to run before you can walk”.

If you are starting to walk the fells, make sure you start on a small scale. Don’t go for Helvellyn or Scafell Pike before you’ve tried some of the smaller and easier fells. Choose good footwear and sensible clothing and a use a good guidebook.

If you plan to start running and haven’t done anything strenuous for a while, the couch to 5k information online is excellent. You can start on a small scale and try to run further and faster each time – don’t try to push yourself too much.

And if you start going to the gym, don’t try to go for the biggest weights or the highest settings on the machines at first.

Use the induction to find a sensible way to begin and help. Have patience!

Dr Richard Russell, James Cochrane Practice