The New Year always brings a new group of enthusiastic people jogging in the streets, packing out every gym and trying out the hottest new fitness trend.
But what if there were ways to help boost your exercise routine without the sweat and gruelling workout sessions?
There is. Here, FEMAIL shares the lazy guide to getting healthy, with tips and tricks for making every day a bit easier without spending hours at the gym.
From apps that can help to boost your motivation to easy swaps at the bar, here are easy ways to cut calories, save time and squeeze in a workout anywhere.
SWAP COCKTAILS FOR BUBBLES
Embracing wine can drastically reduce the amount of sugar you’re drinking without hampering your happy hour efforts (stock image)
If you’re reading this guide, it’s doubtful that you’re willing to give up those after-work happy hour sessions.
But you can still easily cut down on your sugar intake by being a little smarter with your bar order.
We all know cutting alcohol can help us shed a few pounds, but some drinks may be doing far more damage than others.
Take for example a classic rum and coke. While rum has minimal sugar, coke is packed with the sweet stuff. One glass contains a whopping 7 teaspoons of sugar.
While rum has minimal sugar, coke is packed with the sweet stuff. One glass contains a whopping 7 teaspoons of sugar while wine only has 0.25
That means just one drink already contains more than the maximum six daily teaspoons recommended by the World Health Organisation.
And who only orders one?
Beer and wine are far safer options for those who are watching their waistlines. One glass of red wine contains just a quarter-teaspoon of sugar, for example.
For those who can’t give up the rum just yet, swapping with Diet Coke could help. The drink, which contains sweetener aspartame, contains zero grams of sugar.
OR ADD ALCOHOL TO YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE
Yoga and wine classes have become a hit across the globe, offering people the chance to perfect their Downward Dog while still enjoying some Merlot
If you’re still feeling guilty about giving up fitness for fizzy drinks, why not bring the fun into the gym?
Or, onto the mat.
Yoga and wine classes have become a hit across the globe, offering people the chance to perfect their Downward Dog while still enjoying a glass of Merlot.
Sydneysiders can find such classes at Handpicked Cellar Door, which take place every Saturday at 11.30am.
That means you can recover from Friday night’s big session with both a little exercise and some hair of the dog.
Each session costs $35 for an hour of yoga, which is followed by a wine tasting that includes six wines chosen by a sommelier.
And every class only has 10 people, so there’s plenty of vino to go around.
TURN FRUIT INTO DESSERT YOU’LL WANT TO EAT
Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker can turn any frozen fruit into soft-serve ice cream in seconds – all you have to do is push it through the chute
If they’re not trying to convince us that fruit are the sugar-filled villains in our fridge, diets are always telling us that they should become our sweet tooth’s best friend.
But how can a few strawberries or a mango compare to the deliciousness of a Magnum bar or Cornetto cone?
That’s where the Yonanas Frozen Dessert Maker comes in.
The gadget can turn any frozen fruit into soft-serve ice cream in seconds – all you have to do is push it through the chute.
And the Yonanas is built for more than just produce.
You can combine frozen fruit with peanut butter, or even throw in some chocolate chips to give your soft-serve an extra boost of decadence.
Just make sure the chocolate is dark – this is supposed to be healthy, after all.
HAVE SOMEONE ELSE PREP YOUR MEALS
YouFoodz (pictured) lets you build your own menu and sending pre-made meals right to your doorstep. All you need to do is put them in the fridge and re-heat before eating
Easily one of the hardest things about getting fit is working up the motivation to get into meal prepping.
From getting the right containers to doing the big Sunday bake, who could blame you for wanting to watch Netflix instead?
Thankfully there are a number of meal prep services in Australia that do all – or most – of the work, and fit a variety of desires and budgets.
YouFoodz lets you build your own menu, swapping meals based on your preferences and goals.
Hello Fresh brings fresh ingredients straight to your door, with step-by-step recipes to make the cooking process a breeze
There are packages based on weight loss, clean eating, and muscle gains – to name a a few – and prices start at $99.50.
The pre-made meals are sent right to your doorstep. All you need to do is put them in the fridge and re-heat before eating.
If you hate getting groceries but love to cook, Hello Fresh may be more up your alley.
The service brings fresh ingredients straight to your door, with step-by-step recipes to make the cooking process a breeze.
Boxes can be modified depending on how many people you’d like to feed and start at $34.95.
GET PAID TO GET FIT
Pact, a mobile app available for both iPhone and Android, lets you make some extra dough while you lose those kilos
If bikinis and crop tops aren’t motivation enough to hit the gym, maybe some cold hard cash will help your fitness.
Pact, a mobile app available for both iPhone and Android, lets you make some extra dough while trying to lose those kilos.
The free app simply asks that you make a pact to yourself each week to either exercise more or eat healthier.
Pact then keeps its tabs on you throughout the week to see if you succeed. If you fail to meet your pact, it gives the money you pledged to pay to other members.
And if you succeed? You get a reward, generally ranging from 30 cents to $5, from other members.
The more pacts you make and accomplish, the more money you earn.
WORKOUT WITHOUT THE GYM
Kayla Itsines has proved that you can turn anywhere into the gym, especially with the help of a chair or bench
Why should getting fit require commuting back and forth from a packed gym?
You can turn anywhere into the gym, from the park to the beach to your own backyard.
Fitness bloggers like Kayla Itsines have long been inspiring their fans to find a bench and turn it into their personal exercise machine.
Kayla recently shared an a beginner workout that required nothing but a mat on the ground.
The circuit includes two leg, ab, and arm exercises, as well as a bonus plank at the end, with a recommended 10 reps per exercise for three rounds.
Kayla starts the routine with squats, followed by static lunges, push-ups on the knees, tricep push-ups, leg raises, and a 30-second plank.
AND DITCH THE HEELS
Kayla Itsines recommends ditching heels. She believes that the more sporty your outfit is in the office, the more likely you’ll be inspired to get active throughout the day
And it’s Kayla who recommends sporting those heels less to help you feel your best.
The fitness queen believes that the more sporty your outfit is at work, the more likely you’ll be inspired to get active throughout the day.
‘If you can get away with it, wear comfortable trainers to work,’ she wrote in Marie Claire.
‘It’ll make you more likely to skip the bus stop and walk, go for a stroll at lunchtime, or offer to go out and do the coffee run.’
If your office won’t let you ditch the pumps, you can still get the blood pumping with a few exercises at your desk.
Find an empty conference room and do a minute-long wall sit to tighten your core, or use your chair to do a tricep dip right then and there.
Sneak some leg raises (15 reps) under your desk, and add a purse or briefcase if you want to work with a little more heft.