THE BUZZ OF EXERCISE - BRITISH MILITARY FITNESS TRAINING AT NIGHT!

I can't say it's easy but getting up and running around with some other like-minded people is great fun.

It's been two months since I decided to try out British Military Fitness Training - exercise that gets you superfit very quickly if you stick at it. In my case a knee injury prevented me from going to every session and at times Iwondered if all the aches and pains were worth it.

Then I got on my bike which I hadn't used properly for a couple of months and discovered that the hills in London (and there are some big hills in London) were a piece of cake! It seemed like my muscles has taken on a life of their own and actually enjoyed going uphill. So it really does work. I have lost weight, my stomach has shrunk and I just feel a lot fitter and stronger.

The next hurdle for me is exercising in the colder winter months and in the dark. So I was looking forward to my latest session on Hampstead Heath with some intrepidation.

But the session last Tuesday evening was the busiest one I have particpated in. There was so many of us blues (beginners) what we were split into two groups. How do you see in the dark you may ask? Well unbelievably Hampstead Heath is not dark at all - it is illuminated by all the lights of the big City and you can see everything in lights - from the Post Office Tower to the huge office blocks. It's quite an exhilarating sight. And of course you are not alone - the trainers keep a close eye on everybody to make sure no stragglers get left behind.

Our trainers all have torches and lights on their backpacks and although we don't stick to the footpaths, the roughest terrain is avoided - but still no mercy on the exercise! After the warm up which includes running, press ups, squats, star jumps etc - we run through the heath to Parliament Hill...its not cold at all, there was a light breeze and it's a bit of a buzz seeing London from this view.

Not far down below there were some guys playing football in a floodlit court and we did some real army exercise nearby - crab walking for one and crawling through the grass - I confess at this point I decided to do lunges instead. But I promise I will do it next time....

Then is was running back on the footpaths back to the car park at Downshire Hill, off Hampsead High Street.

I can't wait for the snow!

If you want to try British Military Fitness - the first session is free, just fill out your health questionnaire it's on the web site - and bring it with you. Don't worry if you don't feel like coming alone - someone always chats to you! You can find out about the classes at http://www.britmilfit.com/.

There are also some winter training tips on line at http://www.britmilfit.com/winter_training.aspx