Now, let's be honest – keeping fit is not all that much fun.

I think of it as a daily chore designed only to make me ruddy of face, moist of skin and frizzy of hair.

So could a games console help me to change that way of thinking?

Well, yes, surprisingly enough, it could.

I've never been a fan of computer games and never owned anything more ‘gizmo’ than a widescreen TV.

But when the makers of one of the raft of new fitness games designed for the Nintendo Wii games console offered to loan me the whole kit and caboodle to try out for a month, I thought I'd give it a go.

The NewU Fitness First Personal Trainer game is supposed to be like having your very own trainer at your beck and call through the flick of the Wii remote.

You tell it what you are hoping to achieve (in my case, fitness and toning) and it comes back with an individually tailored programme of exercises that it encourages you to do every day. You only need the basic Wii console to use the game, and it starts out with simple programmes of stretching and toning that at just ten minutes long are easy to squeeze into even the busiest day.

The console logs what you are doing and makes sure you are keeping up with your squats and lunges as you have the Wii remote attached to you throughout.

And to push yourself a little bit more you can also try out the fitness challenges section which left me with severely achey legs.

I found myself actually looking forward to ‘playing’ the Wii each day, and it really is a fun way to include exercise into your life.

It's an expensive investment for the whole caboodle – with Wii consoles starting at around £150, and the NewU game retailing at £29.99.

But if you commit to using it regularly it would work out a heck of a lot cheaper than many monthly gym memberships.

Sadly, I've had to send my Wii back now, but it's certainly gone to the top of my birthday wish list!