Studies show that taking a season-long break from your exercise regime will make it harder to shift any extra pounds you may pile on.

It's more tempting than ever to ditch your gym kit during the winter months, but it's important not to put a pause on your exercise regime this Christmas as a season-long break could counteract any progress you may have made throughout the year. 

With shorter days and lower temperatures, the temptation to hibernate inside instead of going for a run is greater than ever before, but substituting your standard gym session for something a little different could make all the difference when it comes to staying active throughout winter.

Yoga Paws
Transform your traditional meditation-inspired workout and take your downward dog to the next level at a Yoga Paws session. Professional yoga teachers will take you through a class whilst puppies come up to socialise and cuddle - making for the ultimate stress-free experience.

Yoga is a low-intensity workout that leaves you feeling re-energised, making it the perfect exercise to get you going on a frosty December morning. Frequent yoga sessions will burn calories, tone muscles, strengthen and stretch the body, but there are more than just physical benefits. As a holistic exercise, yoga can lower stress levels and promote relaxation. It's been proved that human-animal interaction reduces levels of the stress-related hormone, cortisol, therefore the pairing of puppies and yoga can dramatically help relieve anxiousness, boost mood and, subsequently, lower blood pressure.

Yoga Paws is £35 a class and held in several venues across London. 

Secret Fitness
This is for those that like a bit of mystery. Secret Fitness have found the best fitness experiences in London, and tailored them "with fun foremost in mind". You won't find out what activity you're taking part in until you're there but previous classes have included Underwater Hockey and Skiing in Hyde Park.

Founder Chris Shaw wanted to "encourage people to break away from the ordinary to discover exciting new activities that will build both confidence and fitness." If you're looking for to ditch your local gym for something out-of-the-ordinary, this is sure to hit the spot.

Prices start at £15, with locations across London. 


Back to school with Rabble
Rabble has taken playground games to the next level with their fun-fitness workouts and promise that you won't even realise you're working out.

They've disguised traditional HIIT workouts as adrenaline-fuelled games that you probably haven't played since primary school - think British Bulldog, Frisbee, Dodgeball and Capture The Flag. Rabble's sessions are inclusive of age, ability, gender and played in various venues across London and the rest of the U.K. - they even have an indoor venue in Shoreditch if you don't fancy braving the cold.

Prices start from £14 for one game. 


Give back to the community with GoodGym
If you're lacking the motivation to go for a run, it may help to sign up to GoodGym. The community-focused organisation is a volunteer running group that aims to do-good within society whilst committing to regular exercising by "getting people all over the world off treadmills and into their communities".

GoodGym believes that traditional gyms can often be a waste of human energy and potential as there are plenty of neglected tasks within our local communities that could benefit from all that human energy.

By signing up to GoodGym, you could be heading out on a group run and stopping to plant trees or running solo to help an isolated older person that might need an extra hand. The organisation aims to encourage regular exercise whilst developing the local community.

GoodGym is free to join, although most members make a small donation to the organisation. They have various locations throughout the U.K and several in London. 


FloatFit
FloatFit incorporates high and low-intensity workouts with group exercise classes on the water. The classes range from HIIT to yoga so there's an option for everyone, and promises to improve body balance whilst strengthening core stability.

FloatFit workouts take place in a swimming pool, and you'll be provided with an AquaBase, or in other words, a floating exercise mat. The high-intensity workouts promise to burn 360 calories a session, with the low-intensity burning 270 calories. Exercising on the AquaBase will also help build muscular strength and flexibility.

Prices vary dependent on gym, classes available across London. 


Channel your inner Beyonce at Seen On Screen
Seen On Screen are on a mission to empower women "to believe in themselves, using dance as a source of strength, power and confidence." Feminism and fitness collide at their three studios in Central London where you can choose from Diva, Contemporary or Heels classes.

If you want something a bit more full-on, Workshops and Masterclasses break down the routines of particular artists and performances. It might not feel like exercise when you're learning Beyonce's Coachella choreography, but you'll leave feeling the burn of a high-intensity, full-body work-out. Studies show that a 30-minute dance class can burn around 250 calories and also help improve your heart health. 

Seen On Screen classes start from £15 and you'll find them in Covent Garden, Farringdon and Shoreditch.