Feelgood factor: Mr Motivator

"The work I do on television is very aerobic and good for general conditioning, but none of it makes my muscles ache and I like feeling achey.

"I do free weights at home with my lady. I'm not talking about heavy weights - I don't want to be big - I'm talking about light weights with lots of repetitions. We have an exercise bike and a bench, so we can work different parts of the body every day. Monday, we might do arms and upper body, Tuesday we might do abs, Wednesday legs, and so on. I put on my Hooked on Classics tapes, and I can really lose myself in what I'm doing. It freshens my mind.

"There are some muscles that I haven't used on television. My butt always gets neglected and the muscles in my chest, too, so I have been doing a lot of bench-presses and thigh work and concentrated sit-ups. You have to put very little momentum into the action, with the small of your back firmly on the floor, then bring your head up three or four inches - no more - and that way you isolate the correct muscles. If you have a strong back like me, you can put your hands behind your head, and your neck won't be taking too much strain.

"We don't spend more than about 30 minutes working out each morning. I believe in a little regularly rather than two hours twice a week. When I do weight training, the very next day I feel the muscles I have been working ache slightly. That's a great feeling, knowing you have pushed your body and that you are developing."

Interview by NICK WALKER