So, schools out for summer and the holiday season has finally arrived.

Usual routines must change slightly to accommodate kids at home, family visits and BBQ’s, festivals, days and weekends out and about, and hopefully a week or two away on holiday.

Before you know it over a month has passed and you feel both out of shape and guilty. Now you have to start all over again and go through the pain of building back up to previous fitness levels. How frustrating is that?

You can guess where this article is going! It’s easy for us to tell you to “make time and don’t let it slip”, but the reality for you is that the time and usual routine just isn’t there.

The answer is to embrace this temporary change and find a new way to include gym time in your routine. Most people wake up slightly earlier in the summer months, in part due to your ancestral ‘hunter-gatherer ‘ genetic clock telling you its time to go find something to eat. So rather than roll over and try to get back to sleep, why not get up and go to the gym. It’s a wonderful time of day and you can get some ‘credit in the bank of fitness’ to spend later on all the food and drink.

The same applies if you go away on holiday. A quick workout or run first thing in the morning is great for both your physical and mental wellbeing. If abroad then it’s the coolest time of day, but more importantly, you’ve done it and can enjoy the rest of the day without feeling guilty.

Regardless of how you find time over the next few months, its important that you do make time. We have all experienced that September feeling as the normal routine returns and we dread going back to a gym that hasn’t been on our radar for oh so long.

At all three of our Choices Health Clubs we have summer programmes, classes and personal training options to help you through these summer months and keep your fitness levels on track. So don’t be a stranger this summer, and feel free to ask one of our team if you want more information or support.