A nice new outfit to get you up and off the sofa and exercising this month.

Yes, you’re probably already quite bored with the mechanical sounds of the health and fitness marketing machine as it cranks its ungainly way into 2017. You’ve heard everything there is to hear about the diets and silly exercise classes. You’re exhausted by all those dry January dinners with friends you’ve realised that, sober, aren’t particularly interesting, and you’re depressed by all those workout apps and counselling adverts that keep popping up on Facebook. You’re sick, in short, of being bombarded with supposedly inspiring exhortations to get up and out, which in sum, basically just make you feel like you’re not good enough.

So, let’s just take a different tack here. You don’t have to spend all of 2017’s first quarter working out. The world will not end if you don’t. But, given that it’s dark all the time, there’s not much going on, party-wise, and you’re still probably ruminating on many of your successes and failures from last year, you’re probably in need of some kind of distraction. And exercise is not at all bad for clearing the mind at this time of year. In fact, you’ll find it will generally heighten your mood (temporarily anyway). Now, as for motivation: may we suggest that instead of the six pack or biceps that is ethereally promised by various fitness practitioners around the internet, you treat yourself to some new kit from the selection below. This will make the whole experience – if you should choose to indulge in it – that little bit more pleasant, comfortable, and – dare we say it – fun. (Inexplicably this word seems to be missing from most fitness plans, which is a shame.)

There are two options here, depending on whether you’re feeling brave and going to head outdoors, or whether you prefer the womb-like sanctuary of your gym. If the former, we’re awfully impressed, but you might want to opt for something like Nike’s NikeLab base-layer top. Not only is it rendered in an insulating wool-blend, it is covered in a grid of subtle reflective tape, so hopefully you won’t get run over in the dark. For indoors, we’d recommend Nike’s Dri-Fit knit T-shirt, designed to wick away sweat but also minimise chafing with its seamless knitted construction.

London-based brand Iffley Road’s raison d’être is to offer running gear that doesn’t look too embarrassingly much like running gear. In pieces such as the above shorts, the comfort and feel is far more important than any silly go-faster stripes, which makes them a nice, low-key option for getting into the exercise groove this month. Pair them with some all-purpose sneakers from Nike Training, which should see you right whether you’re simply chugging away on the treadmill or doing one of those fancy Hiit sessions that personal trainers are constantly banging on about.

Two things to make your workout more fruitful: some Neat Nutrition protein powder and a foam roller from TriggerPoint. The former, if ingested half an hour before your first exertion, will ensure you don’t pass out after your fourth burpee (especially important if you’re heading to the gym pre-work, and -breakfast). The latter, meanwhile, will help you to stretch out properly afterwards, lessening the likelihood of that Mannequin-Challenge-esque inability to move two days after a workout.

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