If you're not used to exercise it's difficult to make yourself get off the couch and into the gym and even more difficult to sustain your program. Here is an easy but effective plan  for the exercise-shy who want to burn fat.

If you're a committed couch potato, it's no good pretending you are going to get yourself to the gym five days a week starting from Monday.

As much as I would like to give you a whole gym routine to perform - a balanced blend of cardio, strength training and stretches - I know that this is too much for most people to cope with in one fell swoop.

The amount of effort involved may be so alien and overwhelming that you would not begin at all or you might very well follow the routine this week or this month then quit defeated and retire to your couch vowing never to exercise again. To go from couch potato to regular gym-goer overnight takes a will of iron (or a personal trainer on hand to keep you hard at work for every session).

Instead, I advise baby steps for couch potatoes - literally - because the very best fat burning exercise for beginners is to put one foot in front of the other - it's walking.

You can start at any level. You can walk anywhere (even around your home). You can walk with anyone - take your dog, your partner, your kids or go it alone (as long as you keep to safe places). You need no special equipment other than your normal clothes and a comfortable pair of shoes. You don't have to get to the gym, get changed and showered afterwards. You can fit it into your day easily even during your lunch break. Check with your doctor if there's any doubt about your health but there are very few who would not benefit from walking.

Start with as little as 10 minutes (or even 5) a day. It doesn't matter - everyone has to start somewhere. Make it easy for yourself to get the walking habit by starting gently then very gradually increase your distance and your speed. You'll feel the benefit in your fitness levels very quickly as you do so.

Right from the start you'll be burning additional calories every minute you walk and you'll gradually reach the optimum level of exercise for fat burning too - it only takes walking at a moderate to brisk pace for 25 to 30 minutes or so to be in the right range for burning fat.

You'll be amazed at how good a few minutes walking makes you feel about yourself if you don't usually exercise.  And it's a very simple way to get the exercise bug. Who knows - before long you may be hankering to try the gym too!