We are now well into the first week of 2012, so you should by now be planning your new year health and fitness regime.

Many of you will be wondering what exactly you will do this year to finally get fit and lose weight.

Hopefully I can help you to make a failsafe plan to kick-start your weight loss and fitness this year.

Firstly, decide how you are going to lose weight. To lose weight successfully, and to maintain that weight loss, you need to combine a healthy diet with regular exercise.

Your new year healthy diet needs to be balanced, low in sugar and high in nutritious fruits, vegetables, pluses as well as lean meat and dairy.

You need to be aware of the amount of sugar in foods such as bread, cakes, pasta and vegetables that have a high glycemic index (GI).

Potatoes are high GI, which is why chips and crisps are so bad for us – sugar, salt and fat.

The basic rules for slimming down in 2012:

Eat less sugar – remember that sugar comes in many forms

Eat smaller portions

Increase your protein intake and reduce carbohydrate (which in turn cuts sugar)

Get your five a day – five portions of fresh fruit or vegetable every day

But do not drink copious amounts of fruit juice (sugar)

Drink water only – no fizzy drinks

Regarding fitness, please remember that getting fit is a very easy thing to do for most people – that is, easy on a physical level.

Where people fail is on the mental level. Why? People usually lose faith in themselves after trying some pointless exercises that do not work, such as stomach crunches and long, slow jogging twice a week.

Exercise can get you very fit but you need to do the right sorts of exercise at the right intensity.

Crunches will not make your stomach shrink, slow jogging will not turn your body into a fat burning furnace.

So, what should you do? Here is my plan to help you in 2012:

Every week exercise at least four times

Do two weight training/resistance training sessions

Do two intensive cardio sessions.

Simple? The weight training is essential, as building healthy and lean muscle tissue not only makes you look more athletic it also helps to boost your metabolism and therefore burn off more of the food that you eat.

The intensive cardio sessions, which can be anything from circuit training, dance, running, cycling or martial arts classes are to build endurance and burn fat.

Intensive exercise has been shown to be more effective at burning fat, especially visceral (stomach) fat than the slow, steady pace. So try a run in the park and do plenty of sprints. Interval train your way to fitness! Happy New Year!

See www.inspiredtrainingpt.co.uk