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Virgin Active

A monthly column by Virgin Active member and DV8 Editor, Matt Wells.

How are your New Year's resolutions going so far? Mine are ... well, some of them are not going too well (I am currently sat at my desk, having just eaten half a bag of peanut M&Ms. As for those abs I was bragging about in November - long gone). Having said that, I am rather proud of my ability to stick to my own advice from the last Virgin Active column, and maintain a routine of regular visits to the gym. I'm not sure about you, but the silly season for me extended into the first week of January, then the second, then….in fact it extended all the way until the end of January. On the bright side, I am feeling less guilty about all of these excesses, thanks to the motivation and support of my personal trainer and fellow gym buddies at Virgin Active.

As you would expect, the gym has been slightly busier this month, with a lot of Claphamites madly hitting the treadmills to work off the Christmas/winter bulge. I quite enjoy the atmosphere when it is busy like this, my competitive side emerges and I find myself working that little bit harder (wouldn't want to look like I'm lagging behind the Mr Motivator wannabe on the next treadmill!). One of the great things about Virgin Active is that, in my experience, there is never a queue for a machine, even in peak times.

Speaking of the exercise machines, I am loving the new TechnoGym equipment. These new cross-trainers and bikes have individual TV screens installed, showing freeview channels, as well as a range of radio stations. There's no doubt the time passes by more quickly when I am fully engrossed in an episode of 'Homes Under The Hammer' in the morning; I can no longer use my favourite television programs as an excuse to miss a gym session - I just plug my earphones in and keep watching crap TV!

So, as we begin February, another month closer to the spring, my fitness has no doubt improved. This month it's all about toning and seeing some visible results, and to help me with that I?shall be giving the Pilates class a try. I just need a little help with resisting the rest of those M&Ms now...