January has officially arrived and after a restful and indulgent Christmas holiday, now could be the time to reassess your fitness goals. Staying fit can help improve academic performance and build confidence, as well as decreasing the risk of serious illness. Regular physical activity can also help young people to cope with the emotional and physical challenges they encounter every day.

In addition to the pupils' PE lessons, Queenswood strives to motivate students to enjoy exercise by delivering an extensive co-curricular physical programme which is fun and full of choice. Clubs this term include football, cross country, hockey, dance, swimming, trampolining and supervised fitness sessions in our state-of-the art fitness suite. Students can sign up to the clubs of their choice via SOCS.

Why not kickstart your new fitness regime this weekend and go for a short run. You might wish to motivate yourself by following the NHS Couch to 5K programme, a free running plan for beginners. It was developed by a new runner, Josh Clark, who wanted to help his 50-something mum get off the couch and start running, too.

The plan involves 3 runs a week, with a day of rest in between, and a different schedule for each of the 9 weeks. Just download the free App here and get running!

It's important to take care when running outside in the colder weather. Here are some advice and tips for exercising in the winter.