Bored of the treadmill? Sick of the chlorinated indoor pool? Or are you just tired of seeing other fitter, healthier and skinnier women strutting their stuff around in the gym confined within four walls. It is time to move outdoors and begin cross training.

Find a dirt track, an open field or a sheltered forest to run in. Walk up a mountain path once a week. Hit the golf course with a group of friends or do your lengths in a tidal pool near the sea. There are many options to choose from. A gym is just an indoor substitute, which replaces a world of possibility outdoors. We have become lazy and our workouts have become a chore that we merely have to get over and done with.

There are many reasons why we exercise: to stay healthy, to lose weight, for the competition, to train for an important event or to just have a break from our busy lives. It doesn’t matter what we do it for, we should first and foremost, enjoy doing it. Sure, it may be difficult and tiring, but running through a forest with the sun above you, hiking up to a viewpoint, swimming without lanes and playing sport with fresh air all around you is far more stimulating than running at a flat screen television or inhaling the sweaty fumes of fellow gym members. So get out of your house or your office and explore what the outdoors can offer.