My friend came to stay recently and, inevitably, he asked me for a bit of fitness advice as he prepares for an upcoming half marathon writes fitness blogger Jamie Johnston.

We were going to go for a run together, but with it being particularly warm and humid he decided against it. As a lover of warm weather, I was shocked.

However, on chatting to a few other people I found that a lot of people avoid exercise when it’s hot, so I wanted to offer some top tips to make sure we keep going as the mercury rises.

Firstly, accept you will find it harder and be slower!

Trying to exercise as you usually would just won’t work. You will move more slowly, feel weaker and run out of steam sooner.

Exercises that demand technical ability, from ballroom dancing to freestyle wrestling (I often find my former resembles the latter), will be harder because you’ll tire, losing concentration and co-ordination.

So keep it simple – do a little less and enjoy it.

Secondly, prepare properly. If you can, train when it’s coolest. That means exercising early in the morning or later in the evening.

You might even train indoors, say in an air-conditioned gym, but it is of course a shame to miss one of the few glorious days we get in Britain.

Preparation also means making sure we are well hydrated before and during exercise. Take on board plenty of water before training and keep sipping as you exercise.

Don’t go too crazy, but as a rough rule of thumb aim to drink an extra litre on days you are training and during training have half a litre for every 30 minutes of hard exercise or 45 minutes of moderate exercise.

Also, make sure to dress in light fabrics. It sounds simple but the amount of people you see exercising in thick sweat pants and heavy cotton T-shirts on blazing hot days is remarkable.

Wear shorts and light tops. If you don’t like baring too much flesh at least pick lightweight fabrics.

It’s also important to wear a hat and sunscreen. A light cap will keep the sun off your face and also help you to see without being dazzled.

You might also want sunglasses to protect your eyes and if you can, seek out shade.

Think about Wimbledon where the players shelter under a parasol during rest breaks. You might try running on the shaded side of the road or under trees.

Some slightly more eccentric tricks that really work include

• Dousing your top in cold water to cool down
• Putting your T-shirt in the fridge before you train so it cools you down at the start of your session!
• Carrying a household plant spray filled with cool water to spray yourself with.
• Have a really cool shower after training to help cool down.

Finally, it will be a little harder but you should still enjoy it. If you feel unwell, overly hot or nauseous stop immediately, get cool, and seek medical help.

Heat stroke does happen, even in Britain, so be sensible and don’t overdo it.

Jamie Johnston runs At Home Fitness, providing personal training across the West Midlands and Staffordshire. See www.athomefitness.co.uk for more details.