YOU won the fight to fit into your bikini on the beach and the battle to look good in shorts is over, so now you feel you deserve a break. It's hard work keeping fit and it's easy to find an excuse to give up.

The time of year doesn't help - colder weather makes us crave comfort foods, to curl up on the sofa with a box of chocolates. And anyway, it's not long until Christmas so there's no point in trying to stay trim at this time of year is there? There'll be plenty of time to lose weight and get fit come New Year.

But why wait until then? The longer you leave it and the more you eat in the meantime will just make it harder in the long run.

Now is probably the best time of year to join a gym and get fit and toned - as an incentive, just think of all those Christmas parties coming up.

When it's cold and miserable outside a health club can be an inviting place - it's cosy and welcoming and, after a session in the gym or thrashing up and down the pool, you'll leave feeling all warm inside.

And if you make it part of your routine now, you'll look like an expert when everyone else starts exercising in January.

However, there are a few things to bear in mind before you throw yourself onto the treadmill. Joining a gym may be about getting fit, but are you fit enough to join? Your starting point should be to evaluate your health.

At the Bodysense Health and Fitness Club at Redworth Hall, near Newton Aycliffe, every new member is given a health check before they're allowed near the gym.

Says new leisure manager Mike Gallagher: "Everyone can exercise in a gym but it's important that we know certain things about you first, then we can devise a training programme suited to your particular needs."

The starting point is to test blood pressure, aerobic capacity (by blowing into a gadget that shows your lung capacity) and your weight.

Redworth Hall health club boasts the TechnoGym System with equipment to suit all capabilities. As each machine can only be activated by a special key, only bone fide members can use them.

Armed with your age and health information, staff can programme your personal key with your individual training requirements, then each machine allows you to exercise only within the confines of your programme.

Mike explains: "It means that your training is controlled to within your limits and cannot be overridden except by our staff. So if someone who isn't actually capable of doing more but thinks 'Oh, I feel really fit today' they cannot go beyond what's good for them."

Your capabilities are determined, in simple terms, by your age. Using a chart, staff at the health club can work out how fast your heart should be beating depending on what you're trying to achieve in the gym.

Setting out your aims is the next step after you've been given the OK to exercise. Many people join a health club to lose weight but many more want to tone up, build up their strength and endurance, feel more energetic or simply to build some exercise into their daily routine.

At Redworth Hall, your training programme is worked out on what your aims are. For example, at 35, Mike's heart would have to be beating at 147 beats a minute for 22 minutes to improve his fitness; the figure would be 129 beats a minute for him to lose weight. For beginners, the targets are lowered.

"We aren't interested in the super-fit," says Mike. "For most people it's much more simple than that - they're unhappy with the way they look or the way they feel. The good news is that can be changed by simple exercise. "It's about feeling good, doing a bit of exercise and having quality of life."

The Bodysense Health and Fitness Club at Redworth Hall is holding an open weekend when everyone, including non-club members, are invited to have a free health check and stress and lifestyle evaluation. Visitors will be given a tour and there will be free tea and coffee. The open weekend is November 11 and 12 from 10am-4pm. The first 25 visitors on each day can join the health club without paying the joining fee, normally £125.

l Next week: the key to getting fit.

l We have teamed up with Bodysense at Redworth Hall to offer readers the chance to spend a complimentary day at the health club enjoying the facilities, which include the gym, swimming pool, sauna, steam room and spa bath. Visitors can also pay for beauty treatments at the Emmanais salon or hair appointments at Saks. To qualify, just collect four different Body Sense articles, then contact the health club to book your free day on (01388) 770649.

l Win a year's membership. See Tuesday's Echo Woman