As this is my last column, I would like to give you a few points to think about regarding the big issue: Should you train at home or in a gym?

Of course, being a personal trainer, I would point you in the direction of home training but to help you make your decision, think about the following:

Gyms are great for motivation. They have specialist equipment, there are social aspects to joining and they get you out of the house.

However, having worked in busy gyms in central London, I have become partially converted to home training.

Benefits include not working out for other people's benefit, risking joint injuries shifting ridiculous weights, feeling guilty if you stop for a break or wanting to power-walk but getting sucked into jogging because everyone else is.

Other benefits include speedy access to a kettle, music you like but, more importantly, total freedom to pick up the weights exactly when you feel like it, whatever the weather outside.

With creativity and some astute buying (ebay.co.uk or other mail-order bargains on the net), you can set yourself up pretty well with basic stuff you can then adapt for anything - fit ball, dyno-band, step and light dumbbell set for some or multi-gym and Olympic bar set-up for others.

If motivation is something you find difficult, try using mirrors and see your delts pumping up. Or, watch yourself getting more agile on a step.

Immerse yourself in the fitness world - constantly browsing or buying new books on the subject can provide endless inspiration and motivation.

Set yourself a target. For instance: "In the summer, we are cycling through Europe so I had better get into shape now."

If you do buy equipment, don't relegate it to the garage or loft (unless the area is the last word in luxury and decor).

Unless you have a will of iron, most likely the iron will stay there gathering cobwebs and damp.

Make space for it in the house and you will be tempted to use it all the time.

As well as being quite a talking point for visitors and giving you some kudos as a trainer, they can be rather funky bits of furniture - they even have them on Channel 4's The Salon for staff to bounce around on.

If your stuff is at arm's reach, you and your friends will not be able to resist using it - you may even find a training partner. This will really put your training into another dimension, as long as you have similar levels or one is able to take on a motivator role.

You could buy or, even better, hire some top-class kit, then give me a ring for some instruction and a programme to follow.

Article by personal trainer David Gordon. If you would like to train or book a free consultation, call David on 01903 202895.

David regrets he cannot enter into personal correspondence, and please consult your GP before starting to exercise.