Fitness expert Lucy Wyndham-Read delivers some top tips for losing weight.

• Help your children get more exercise by organising a treasure hunt to get them running around trying to find interesting objects, or suggest the whole family goes out for a walk together – the physical activity will also help your kids sleep better.
• At this time of year when we are indoors a lot more and the evenings are getting darker, it's important to get outdoors into the “big green gym”! After a hard day at work when you're feeling a bit stressed, go for a walk – it will help to clear your mind and give you an emotional lift, too.
• Remember you don't have to exercise for an hour at a time – walking is the second most calorific-burning exercise, and taking 10-minute brisk walks will help to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you're stuck in the house for any reason, put on your favourite CD and try marching up and down the stairs or marching or running on the spot.
• If you're struggling to make time for exercise, write in your diary that you will take three 10-minute walks, three times a week. After the first week, think how you can increase this.
• Think about joining a walking club, or enter for one of the regular charity walks or runs held throughout the year – in addition to burning off calories, you'll be meeting new people and raising money for a good cause.
• Buy a pedometer – they're cheap and you can see how many steps you've taken and how many calories you've worked off, which encourages you to round it off to the 100 steps. Get the whole family involved by putting a chart on the fridge and seeing how many steps you've each done by the end of the day.