THE good news – summer’s on its way. The bad news – you need that bikini body, and fast. Here Lyndsey Todd, a professionally- trained ballet dancer and personal trainer at the Total Fitness gym on Edge Lane gives her exercise and diet plan for shaping up for your holiday in the sun

LET’S get real. While a bikini body, in the classic sense, is achievable for many women, it’s just not possible for some.

But every woman can make improvements to what they’ve got and this four-week plan can make the prospect of putting on those two pieces of cloth slightly more appealing.

There is no quick fix – it takes a lifestyle change that requires commitment edged with a bit of realism. If you’re fit already, you’re going to get fitter and slimmer. If you’re not fit, then thinking you’re going to be running a marathon or looking like Cheryl Cole at the end is just misguided.

Key to everything is not to make excuses and to build exercise into your routine.

So don’t use the car – walk, cycle or run. And instead of slumping in front of the telly, take some classes at the gym.

My plan involves a mixture of upper and lower body exercises, aerobic exercise and some resistance work, otherwise known as intermittent/interval training, melded to a sensible rather than faddy diet plan.

But I’m not a slave-driver. You should take every Sunday off!

For weeks one and two the plan is centred entirely in the home – although you can go to the gym as well if you like – while weeks three and four are gym-based for that extra-toning effect.

WEEK ONE

Begin by walking up and down the stairs for a minimum of 26 steps

March on the spot for 20 seconds

Do 10 press-ups

30 seconds of step ups on the bottom stair

14 abs crunches with feet on bottom step

12 squats using towel looped around stair rail

12 standing up rowing actions while carrying 5-8lb bags of spuds in each hand

10 forward lunges using bottom stair

20 side bends holding 5lb bags of spuds in each hand.

Take a breather then repeat all that twice more.

But don’t panic – you don’t have to do that every day for the first week. Twice a week will do, so long as you space it out. But you MUST do some form of exercise every other day of the week, so I suggest a half-hour walk every day except Sunday.