Yes! Winter is finally out of the way and summer is approaching. How has your fitness routine been going?

Have you been trudging out the miles on the treadmill? Perhaps you’ve been brave enough to don the extra layers and you’ve been pounding icy pavements? If so, then well done you for burning those excess calories during the darkest days.

Now the air’s not so chilly it’s time to trip off the treadmill and perhaps embrace the open air again, but there’s much more to fitness than simply running. Here are five ways you might like to pep up your springtime fitness routine.

Embrace your inner child

You don’t often see small children at the gym or out jogging. That’s because most small children are naturally energetic, and they love playing and racing around. Why not go back to your childhood and think of the stuff you used to love to do as a child – unless it was eating crisps and watching cartoons all day! How about skipping rope, playing with a frisbee or simply just racing about?

Enlist some fitness friends

Why not gather together all your top mates for and join me for a joint, fun fitness session? You could persuade them to form a little friendly competitiveness and it always raises the enthusiasm levels when you attend a brand new fitness class as a group. Summoning the desire to go training can be hard at times, and it’s easier to get motivated if your buddies are involved too.

And now for something completely different

The best way to shake up a fitness routine is to try something new. There are hundreds of activities available that will improve your fitness, so it should be extremely easy to find something that you’ve not tried before. If you’re near the coast, how about giving surfing a try? Perhaps there is a rock climbing centre in your nearest city? Google is your friend when it comes to finding a completely new activity for yourself.

There’s no ‘I’ in team (although there is a ‘me’)

We all have a competitive streak, and while individual sports such as tennis and squash are great for your health, you might find playing a team sport more thrilling. There are probably loads of local sports teams available near you for you to join, and you never know – you might discover a talent for football, softball or hockey that you never knew you had!

Don’t be a ‘Fit Freddy No Mates’

Even if you love the gym, sometimes it can be tough to go it alone. Why not try and inspire your friends or work colleagues to join you in a combined quest for the perfect summer body? Sitting on resistance machines can be a little dull at times, so why not take your friends along to keep you company? At the very least you’ll have someone to train with and chat to while you work out!

So if you fancy giving your workout a bit of a shake up this spring, my group training sessions are at Whitehall Recreation Ground, Bromley on Tuesday evenings at 7pm and Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 9.30am. Grab your mates and join in! Call 07973 483314