Why group classes work when willpower does not

Motivation is unreliable. Structure is not. A booked class does three things willpower cannot: it fixes a time, it hands the thinking to somebody else, and it means people notice when you are not there.

Our timetable mixes circuits, conditioning, core work, stretch and yoga, so no two weeks feel the same. Every movement is offered at an easier and a harder level, and the instructor will quietly steer you to the right one.

Groups here are small on purpose. The coach can see your form, correct it early and remember what you were working on last week. That is the bit big-box timetables lose.

If you have never done a class before, come and stand at the back of a stretch or core session. Nobody is looking at you, because they are all counting down the last thirty seconds, same as you.