To get fit, you need a balanced diet with lots of energy – especially the body’s preferred fuel for hard exercise: carbohydrates. Other requirements are electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, along with a good joint-repair formula for those days when you may have pounded the pavement a little too much. Anyone doing longer sessions of cardio will benefit from a carb supplement or, to cover all of the bases, you can get one of the new mid-workout (or “intra-workout”) drinks that also contain electrolytes to replace the nutrients lost in sweat, and often creatine and amino acids.

For those sportsmen and women who don’t eat such a perfect, well-balanced diet, a multivitamin can plug your nutritional gaps. All it takes is one nutrient deficiency to create a bottleneck to your progress and active people often have greater need for essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals. If you run or cross-train consistently for any length of time, chances are you’ll get a few creaky joints from time to time. Joint support products contain scientifically-studied ingredients that provide the raw material to help heal many joint ailments that could otherwise keep you out of the gym. Finally, just about every fitness fanatic I know has a busy life and finds it hard to meet all of their calorie and other nutrient requirements. So for convenient, great-tasting nutrition on the go, get yourself a protein or energy bar so you can meet the often very high calorie requirements of people who do a lot of training.