If the '80s were the era of full-on cardio fitness and pounding your way to a more svelte physique, the '90s mentality represents a gentler approach towards getting in shape. Rather than focusing solely on the calorie-burning and aerobic benefits of a workout, we now look to exercise to fulfill our emotional as well as physical needs.

Over the past few years more and more people have discovered the benefits of workouts that stimulate our emotions as well as our muscles, and it's estimated that mind/body fitness classes now occupy up to 50 per cent of some gym timetables.

Today, yoga, T'ai chi, Pilates and martial arts are the 'it' classes, and even Gin Miller, the American fitness guru who invented the step aerobics phenomenon in the 1980s, is no longer convinced that the trend she started is really the best way forward. 'Getting fit should not be just a battle against calories and fat but something you do that is mentally as well as physically beneficial,' says Miller. 'If you enjoy what you do, the results will be more rewarding and long lasting. In other words there's no point pursuing fitness just because you want to reduce the size of your butt.' Miller also suggests that adding a mental component to your physical workouts can help achieve quicker results and prevent burnout.

Participating in mind/body exercise will give your brain a break too. By focusing on the actual exercises and meditative qualities of these workouts, daily stresses are pushed to one side. You will find yourself feeling relaxed and calm not only during the class or session but also when you go back to your everyday duties.

'There is undoubtedly a close link between emotions and fitness and this is the basis on which many of the mind/body classes are formed,' says Dearbhla McCullough, a sports psychologist at the University of Surrey's Roehampton Institute. 'There's no doubt exercise has a psychological and physical link.'

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Mind the fat