Louisa Pearson: Exercise caution

I HAVE two words for you: leg warmers. Am I the last to learn that they are once more widely available on the high street? With a remake of Fame released last year, I suppose it was inevitable. The worst thing about this fashion revival is that when I was at school, I absolutely loved leg warmers.

While I'd never consider revisiting the ra-ra skirt or fingerless lace gloves, woolly leg warmers are exactly what an old bird like me needs to stay cosy through the winter months. This time around, though, I promise never to team them with a turquoise Spandex leotard. Much as I don't want you to linger on that startling image, we must continue down this road.

It's 1985. The 12-year-old me has discovered aerobics, more specifically, the Arlene Phillips Keep in Shape System. Those of you who only know Arlene as a Strictly judge have a lot of catching up to do. Back in those days, her keep-fit LP was a bestseller. Arlene grinned broadly on the cover, dressed in bright red leotard, yellow leggings, stripey leg warmers and a natty headband. She was my hero.

The LP came with a book of photos and instructions. Your challenge was to find a way of turning the pages while performing leg-lunges, sit-ups and high kicks. Then there's the risk that the LP would jump every time you did?

Where is all this going? Stick with me. Since my teens, my favourite way of exercising has been with the aid of aerobics videos. I'm far too competitive for team sports, too bad a loser for one-on-one games like tennis, and a slow elimination of other options (swimming, cycling, bobsleigh) has left me with walking, gardening and exercise vids.

I progressed from Arlene to Lizzie Webb – by this point we'd moved from audio-only on to VHS and were wearing nice yoga pants and T-shirts instead of leotards. Eventually I found Billy Blanks's Tae Bo DVDs. This former martial arts champion issues instructions like a sergeant major. Even though he's not actually in the room, slacking off isn't an option.

These reminiscences about leg warmers emerged after looking at the Energy Saving Trust (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk) guide to eco-friendly ways of keeping fit. Some suggestions are entirely predictable: walk or cycle as much as possible; use the stairs instead of the lift; get up and turn off appliances rather than using the remote control to switch them to standby. There is also a suggestion to turn off the heating if you're exercising at home, since "you're likely to get very hot from the extra activity and don't want to overheat". They've clearly never visited my igloo.

When out walking, you could use park benches "to do tricep lifts". Should the weather prove wet, tins of beans can be used as barbells for toning arms. And don't forget, housework is known to burn calories.

I should really get into old-fashioned circuit training. Some people thrive on pushing themselves through 100 sit-ups and press-ups in rapid suggestion. But without a disco beat and someone shouting at me from the telly, I find it difficult to get motivated. In order to find out how much my aerobic antics are costing the planet, I did a few calculations – 30 minutes of TV and DVD use requires approximately 0.0425kWh (just under a half-pence worth of electricity). I don't think this alone is going to cause global meltdown. Although I will be careful not to work out too often, just in case. And as record players use less electricity than TVs, I've been having a look on the internet. Bids for the Arlene Phillips LP start at 3.99 on eBay.

• This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, January 31, 2010