It can sometimes be hard to keep up the motivation for exercise, especially if you are not seeing results on the scales. Muscle weighs more than fat and so your weight may take time to decrease, and although a measuring tape is great for comparing week-on-week results, it is not always as satisfying as it can take time to take all the measurements.

When exercising, one way of maintaining motivation is to set achievable targets for yourself that can steadily increase – or decrease if necessary – each week or whatever timeframe you wish to follow. An example would be when on the exercise bike – you may set a target of cycling for ten minutes one day, eleven minutes the next and so on until you reach the level you want to maintain. Alternatively, you may increase the distance – to reach a certain number of kilometres one week and then a slightly higher figure the week after, or you may try to increase your speed to break personal bests for distance travelled in a certain time period.

You could always think of rewards to help inspire yourself too, such as a new piece of clothing if you continue to keep to your exercise schedule. Even if you do not lose a dress size by the date you choose for your reward, you can still find an item that is likely to fit better thanks to your new, leaner shape.