The vast majority of personal trainer Jeremy Smith’s clients weren’t athletes or gym rats.

They were regular businessmen and women who struggled to find the time to work out.

His solution? Beat the Desk, a website that offers exercise plans and nutrition advice.

“The reality is people don’t have the time or the energy to go to a gym for an hour after work so I’ve tried to create exercises and movements they can do throughout the day,” the 26-year-old said.

“I know a lot of trainers love to work with athletes and maybe do a little bit of rehabilitation exercises, but those clients see working out as necessary to their lives and careers. The clients I work with are 80 to 90 per cent desk workers, and have an entirely different set of challenges.

“When you’re at your desk between nine and five you feel like you have to be busy every minute of the day, so a couple of things I’ve implemented is a daily physical activity schedule. It breaks down your entire day and you have scheduled exercises that you don’t need a gym or equipment to do. It’s all laid out for you. Some people might be in the middle of work and don’t want to stop to do the exercises, but I tell clients just to do what little they can.”

Each exercise takes between 30 and 60 seconds to complete. Mr Smith also helps people organise weekday meals and snacks ahead of time.

“I wanted to help people improve their quality of life and emphasise the importance of movement to them,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be CrossFit, or necessarily going for a jog, but finding something that allows them to move their bodies.

“The numbers are scary when it comes to sedentary lifestyles. Eighty-five per cent of people will experience some sort of lower back disorder at some point in their lives; a huge percentage of those being people who sit at a desk for the day.

“Getting some sort of movement in doesn’t have to be intense or vigorous, but just something simple like getting up and going to the water cooler, or standing up when you make your phone calls can make a difference. Instead of e-mailing the reception desk, actually get up and talk to them, that’s another example.”

Mr Smith has played sports for most of his life.

In high school he played soccer, rugby and basketball; at 16 he got hooked on lifting weights.

“At that point in my life there wasn’t much to do so I just went to the gym and learnt from there,” he said. “I did it because I enjoyed it, but it was also the aesthetics part of wanting to look and feel good and feel strong as well.”

He studied physical and health education at Queen’s University in Canada and got his personal training certification in 2012.

“I’ve been running my own private gym, The Station, for about 18 months now. It’s small, but people love it,” he said. “I have people coming in who don’t want the intimidating atmosphere where you have big men grunting and groaning, and they love the privacy.”

It was there he got to know some of the barriers his clients faced when it came to exercising. His research found there was a lot of “misinformation” on the internet about health and fitness and so he started writing articles he could pass on to his clients.

He launched Beat the Desk this year.

“I want people to see me as a go-to resource and have found that you can reach more people if you do it online,” Mr Smith said.

“I’ve seen other people doing it and some of them have been really successful. I love sitting at home and getting an e-mail from someone in Texas asking for fitness advice. It makes me feel good knowing I can help someone in a different part of the world I would have never had access to in person.”

He considers each individual’s schedule. Frequent travellers, for example, are given nutrition and exercise advice that takes their trips into account.

“This is all about doing what works for you,” he said. “It’s about finding something you can adhere to. If you don’t enjoy it, it won’t last. When it comes to exercise and finding your daily routine you have to be able to adhere to it instead of flipping and flopping and trying different things.

“I know these exercises are doable. I put out a 90-second video recently about how to do hip extensions while sitting at your desk. A Bermudian lady pointed out how easy it was even with her work clothes on. A lot of the tips people provide don’t take into account a lot of women will be wearing a skirt or dress, so that was really useful feedback.”

Find Mr Smith’s book, Advanced Bodyweight Core Conditioning, on Amazon.com. It details core exercises that can be done at home, the office or the gym.