By Mark Wood, Head Training Tutor at British Military Fitness 

With the January blues in full swing, most of us need a helping hand when it comes to kick starting our New Year fitness regimes. The festive season of overindulgence is over and here at British Military Fitness (BMF), we have put together 15 top tips to make 2015 your year to get lean and eat clean!

1. Master the basics – Learn to master some of the fundamental exercises. Learning how to complete these exercises with great form and technique will ensure your workout is effective. Spend time learning some of the following exercises: Squat, Lunge, Press up, Sit up, Pull up, Dips.

2. Train with intensity – Our lifestyles can be very demanding so when training, focus on the intensity. Lots of research suggests that High Intensity Training is one of the best ways to train and quickest ways to get results.

3. Use your own body weight – Body weight exercises can be very demanding and challenging but they have great benefits. They are free to do, you can do them anywhere and you can get a whole body workout in a very short time. Start to build up your exercise regime with body weight exercises.

4. Eat breakfast – Breakfast should be one of your most important meals of the day. It is essential to get your metabolism started for the day so you continue to burn calories all day long. Most people tend to either skip or rush breakfast. Yes, you may need to get up a little earlier but it will put you in a much better position to start your day and help you on the way to achieving those goals.

5. Ensure adequate hydration – Hydration is key for anyone looking to exercise. Make sure you are drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. Always turn up to sessions hydrated and make sure you rehydrate with at least 1.5 times the fluid that was lost during your training session.

6. Don’t neglect cardio – Cardio work should be factored in to your sessions. It is one of the greatest ways to get in to shape and is necessary to keep your heart healthy and your body functioning the way it should.

7. Get outside – Exercising in the great outdoors has many benefits. It is much better for you to breathe in fresh air compared to air conditioning, especially if you are stuck in a gym with loads of germs floating around.

8. Carbs are not the devil – Carbohydrates seem to get a bad name. Those who are looking to drop weight tend to avoid any form of carbohydrates. Lowering the amount you consume will help with losing weight but I would not advise cutting them out completely. They are important for energy production, recovery, muscle growth and fat loss. Instead of removing them completely, just ensure that you are consuming carbohydrates that are not full of sugar.

9. Have variety – Variety is a key factor to the success of your training. Your body very quickly recognises and adapts to any exercise or training session that you complete. Therefore in order to progress you must continually make the body guess and challenge it in different ways. Variety in a diet is also key to enjoying what you are eating as well as getting all the essential minerals and vitamins.

10. Train with others – Having a training partner or training in a group has some great benefits. They will help you stay motivated, it becomes a great social environment and you can have some great fun.

11. Train 3-4 times a week – If you are serious about changing your body and getting some results then you need to be training at least 3-4 times a week consistently for a good 3 month period.

12. 90/10 rule – This is a great rule to follow when looking at nutritional strategies. 90% of the time, make sure you are eating for your goals, for your health and are making the right choices. 10% of time you can have more flexibility in your diet and have the treats that we all fancy.

13. Don’t beat yourself up – It is important not to obsess over the occasional slip-up. The most important thing is that you don’t let that one slip-up turn in to a week of slip-ups. Be realistic and make sure you acknowledge how well you are doing and reward yourself every now and then.

14. Avoid low calorie diets – Your body requires a certain amount of calories to function. Without these calories lots of hormonal reactions that are required for you to achieve your goals cannot take place. Avoid any low calorie diets as they are usually just a quick fix, which will be followed by a rebound, and you will find yourself in a worse situation than when you started. An easy way to figure out how many calories you need is by using the following equation.

a. Males: 24 x weight in Kg

b. Females: 22 x weight in Kg

15. Get some rest! If you are training hard, it is important to give the body ample rest and recovery. Some good quality sleep is one of the best ways the body can recover and it is these rest periods when the body becomes stronger and fitter. Be committed but don’t become obsessed. You won’t be able to maintain a very high intensity all the time without the body becoming fatigued.

To help you kick start your fitness, we are offering people the chance to try a BMF session for free at any of our 140 venues across the UK.