EXERCISE and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are often at the top of the to-do list at this time of year.

And experts have once again singled out a number of trends they see gathering pace in the coming 12 months.

If you are determined to stick to your new year’s resolutions then these popular methods of keeping trim and healthy could be the keys to long term success.

Essex is perfectly poised to keep up with the trends - and in many cases ahead of the pack.

Among the top tips are a more technologically minded approach from using waterproof watches to check lap times and introduce warm-ups sprints and drills to swimming sessions.

Two-time Olympic silver medallist James Guy says: “As a full-time swimmer, I know full well the incredible physical benefits that come from working out in the water.

“Swimming dramatically improves cardiovascular fitness and increased overall endurance, but it also helps build muscle strength and definition.

“What’s more, it’s a workout that can be enjoyed by people of any age and ability, the ultimate fitness staple.”

Pools across Essex offer lessons for people of all ages so not feeling confident in the water shouldn’t be a deterrent.

There are even on-line tutorials which could be used.

Last year’s major trend, High Impact Interval Training (HIIT) crops up again as something a number of fitness clubs are using for members both in and out of the pool.

Power lifting is also poised to continue its rise in popularity this year with its previous image of beefy men in the weights section of the gym getting a major overhaul.

More and more women are taking up the squat racks and barbell sets in a bid to shape up and get leaner.

Kitty Burroughs, who trains at Hamilton’s Gym in Colchester, wanted to do exactly that when she took up the sport in the run- up to her wedding.

But it soon became apparent she had a real talent and she has gone on to compete on the world stage both in Britain and America.

“I was training in Ipswich at first and pretty quickly someone said I should think about competing because I seemed to have a natural talent for it,” explains Kitty, who was short- listed for Colchester’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2016.

“It does not necessarily have to make you bulk up, it can help you get leaner and fitter.

“I dropped three dress sizes through the lifting and doing cardio work alongside it to build up strength.

“Most people do lifting without equipment but I am trying to organise an event where people can have a go using equipment,”says Kitty.

She says one of the other major draws has been how welcoming everyone has been within the power lifting community.

“There is a real camaraderie, power lifters are the friendliest people you will ever meet.

“I went on holiday to the Channel Islands but still needed to train as I had a competition coming up and within a few hours of posting a request for information on-line I was in a gym being welcomed with open arms.”

A sense of community and being in it together are also at the core of another popular fitness trend.

Crossfit, a combination of weightlifting, running, gymnastics and cardio work- outs, has become a major force in fitness.

Experts expect this to continue, in an increased focus on equipment such as the assault bike and SkiErg, which takes the principles of the Nordic cross country skiing.

Existing crossfit fans, and newcomers to it, are in luck in Colchester as its two centres dedicated to the fitness approach, Crossfit Colchester and Crossfit Iceni, already have both of these pieces of equipment in regular use.

JanWestrik, co-owner of Crossfit Iceni, says the bikes are used within classes and are popular because they give an all over work-out.

“It has seen the approach to going to the gym change from young people heading off to work out, plugging themselves in to their phones and going through their own routine to everyone being engaged with each other.

“You are both competing and willing each other on and everyone is of varying abilities, young to old.”

Crossfit Colchester’s Carl Saville agrees with this.

It too has assault bikes and the Ski machines and plans to add more when they have completed a planned move to larger premises in March.

“We also use rowing machines as the basis of our classes but will be using the bikes more once we have moved.

“The bikes do not offer you any motion which can often help make things a bit easier so you are having to work much harder.

“Your work rate capacity is much higher. It can be vicious.

“Everyone starts at their own level and at a scale that works for them,” adds Carl.

He says it has more staying power too.

“I worked in community gyms before and I would say the statistic that 70 per cent of people who join them in January and February never go back again for the rest of the year would be fair.

“With us it is the opposite. Around 70 per cent are still coming throughout the year, between once and three time week.

"And I think that is down to you being with other people, there being a structure and real interaction within the classes,” he adds.

Wellbeing and mindfulness are also key buzz words which will continue to infiltrate healthy living this year.

And those in the know say it is about the positive effect of exercise on your mental, as well as physical, well-being.

To help achieve these pilates, tai chi and yoga are top options.

Dr Sam Haylett, Colchester-based yoga therapist and psychotherapist says the benefits are far-reaching.

“It is unlike any other exercise you will do because it was actually designed as a healthy way for personal development and has a deep philosophy of self change.

“When people do it they say they feel better, calmer and less anxious and that is the connection with mindfulness.

“It is all very well doing activity but losing weight and exercising are not the only solutions to feeling better. It has to come from within.

“Of course, you will feel better if you are overweight and then slim down but there are also slim people who exercise who are unhappy,” says Sam who runs her own therapeutic sessions from her studio in Colchester.

She explains: “I tend to like to have a one-to-one prescriptive session with a new client so that I can find out what is best for the individual.

“I would also advise anyone wanting to get started who hasn’t tried it before to find a practitioner like me or a group for beginners.

“And to practise. Everything takes time and practise.”