HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

A COMPLETE beginner will start to notice their workout getting a bit easier after two or three sessions, s ays Pa u l Swainson, head of personal training at sports educators Future Fit. ‘And, within four weeks of regular training you’ll notice a change in your fitness scores.’

Fitness levels improve as the body wants to adapt to a task it finds difficult. As such, it boosts the lungs to bring more oxygen into the body, and it strengthens the heart to pump more blood around the system.

‘None of this happens while you work out, though. It happens afterwards when the body goes into recovery mode,’ says Mr Swainson, who recommends we aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week to get optimum results. And at least 20 minutes of that three times a week should be exercise that gets you out of breath.