THE BEST OF THE REST

While this plan will kick-start your fitness, exercise is just one piece of the healthy lifestyle puzzle. Here are some of the others:

GET YOUR NEAT UP

NEAT stands for non-exercise activity thermogenesis, and refers to the movement during your day that isn’t planned exercise, such as fidgeting or cleaning the house. The best way to increase this is getting your steps up, says Chopra. ‘Use a tracker to find your weekly average number of steps – most phones have them if you don’t own a smartwatch – and add 1,000 steps – about 10 minutes of walking – to each day, or an extra 5,000 to 7,000 on average per week.’ On the NON-HIIT days of your plan, you’ll find suggestions for additional movement and recovery.

BE CONSISTENT

This challenge is not about pushing yourself to breaking point during the week and ‘rewarding’ yourself with a weekend of zero movement. ‘To build a healthy lifestyle that is actually sustainable long-term, it’s about doing a little, often,’ says Chopra. Remember: the goal is progress, not perfection. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a session or push yourself if you’re under the weather. There’s always tomorrow.

PRIORITISE YOUR ZZZ

A 2011 study published in International Journal Of Obesity found that people who slept between six and eight hours a night had a greater chance of achieving their weight-loss goal than those who slept less or more. Sleep is also necessary for muscle recovery – in certain phases, blood flow to your muscles increases, and your body secretes human growth hormone (HGH), both of which aid in tissue growth and repair. Plus, smashing your workouts is going to be a whole lot easier on a good night’s sleep, isn’t it?