If there’s one thing you won’t be able to avoid this season, it’s sportswear.

With Olympics fever hotting up, the fashion world has upped the ante for all things athletic. Stella McCartney is going for gold as the seamstress of choice for Team GB’s kit, while on the high street, Next has collaborated with Davina McCall for a fitness range and Dame Kelly Holmes is playing fashion tag-team with Tesco.

One thing’s for sure, workout clothes have had a serious style makeover. Put yourself on the fast track to being a fashion medal winner.

Lean Machines

There are some people who don’t need any style encouragement to stay fit. Your running shoes practically put a spring in your step and you’re often found skipping happily to the gym.

You need a super-fit kit, designed to withstand intensive sporting activity (and profuse sweating).

Look out for materials like polyamide or polypropylene with innovative ‘push-and-pull’ technology to give you optimum moisture wicking.

The fast-dry qualities will ensure that no matter how much your body sweats, you never get wet. The right clothing also retains your body heat so you’ll stay warm, even during those outdoor mini-marathons.

Look for fabrics that contain a high content of elastane or lycra to help support your hard-working joints and reduce muscle fatigue.

Part-Timers

If you find working out hard but worth it, exercise your fashion muscles with a vibrant kit of essentials to keep your fitness mood upbeat and motivated. A flash of zingy brights will give your positive mental attitude a buzz.

Make sure you avoid any sportswear emergency that could be an excuse to skip that gym session. If you need to banish the bounce, a supportive sports bra is an essential requirement to ensure everything stays where God intended and prevent sagging.

Want to avoid sore feet? Get professionally fitted for your perfect trainers, as ill fitting or old footwear can result in blisters, bruised toenails and even headaches.

Fit Fashionistas

You don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to join the style sports club.

Dress up for the gym – without the membership – by embracing the catwalk-inspired sports luxe trend.

Marc Jacobs brought swinging tangerine tennis skirts to the spring/summer catwalk court, while Christopher Kane used swimsuit-style neoprene dresses to give a nod to the 2012 Olympics.

Your look should say urban chic; like you’re about to go to the gym but have changed your mind and put on towering heels to workout instead.

Think oversized parka coats, silky tank tops and drawstring trousers. Go-faster stripes and sporty hood details might just convince everyone you’re on a keep-fit drive.

Sofa Surfers

Whether it’s a fitness DVD or the soaps, you’re more likely to be giving your TV remote a workout than your body.

Thankfully, the fashion gods have come up with the lazy girl’s solution without moving a muscle.

Enter the gym antidote: a range of shaping garments with compression fabrics containing ingredients like caffeine for a sculpting quick fix.

Zaggora HotPants, £44.99 (zaggora.com) and Proskins Slim leggings, £50 (Next) are both popular with a bevy of celebrities and those who want to beat the bulge. You can sport them while exercising, doing the housework or during DVD marathons.

If the idea of running brings on a rash, workout while you walk with FitFlops (www.fitflop.com). Choose from boots, sneakers and sandals that will help tone those festive tell-tale signs. It’s sportswear in disguise!

Get the look

Once you’ve hit the gym and got a body like Angelina Jolie’s, steal her figure-hugging staples. Try FM Boutique’s leather-look pencil skirt, £20 (www.fmboutique.co.uk).

Buy it now

Ready for Versace fever part two? Donatella Versace has created a new cruise collection for H&M. With fruity prints, and light, floaty negligees and dressing gowns, the designer collaboration should wake up your wardrobe for spring. Versace for H&M cruise is exclusively available online from January 19 at www.hm.com.

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