You’ve got a holiday looming. You’re wondering how you’re going to fit into that bikini, never mind the slinky little number you bought for strutting your stuff around the local nightspots.

Panic sets in. Is it too late, can we rebuild?

According to Guy Foster, owner of Energie Fitness Club in Farnborough, there could still be time to slim down, get fit and tone up before the suitcase is locked shut.

He recommends the gym’s six-week Empower programme — and you don’t even have to be a member to embark on it.

Guy explained that one of the things that can put people off joining a gym is the fear that they will feel intimidated by other members who are slimmer, fitter or stronger than them.

“Here, we are not a gym for posers,” he said. “We have no mirrors and we try to get to know all our members, so they feel relaxed and welcomed.

“Most of our new members have never joined a gym before and a large proportion of them are 35 or over, so we are not a gym full of young body-builders.

“We don’t like labelling, judging or compartmentalising people, which is where the appointment scheme on the programme scores. It gives us a chance to treat everyone differently on a personal level.”

The programme is based around six one-to-one sessions with a trainer, plus aerobic (cardiovascular) and resistance (weights) training in between.

Guy sees it as an ideal way for someone who is unfamiliar with gyms to have a taster without being committed to full membership. He has even offered a money-back guarantee if the participant sees no improvement by the end of the six-week period.

“The programme is fully supported, not only by our staff but also by our welcome packs which contain information sheets and personal record diaries,” he said.

“We would expect people to have at least three sessions in the gym every week, but they can do more than that if they want and can take part in our studio classes too. In effect, they have full club membership for six weeks.

“But the programme is not just about exercise, because we also look at the participant’s lifestyle and what they eat to help get them on the right track for a healthier way of living beyond the six weeks.”

Each one-to-one session of the programme focuses on a different aspect of the course, starting in week one with an assessment of the participant’s health and fitness levels, their lifestyle and diet, and their short and medium-term goals.

Medical history is looked at, and measurements, such as blood pressure, weight and height, are taken.

The second session is where the work starts, with the participant finding out how to use the various pieces of gym equipment and receiving a tailor-made programme.

Guy explained: “Most of the people on the programme are new to gyms, so we demonstrate the machines and anything else they might be interested in — abdominal work for example.

“We also show them how to warm up and cool down correctly. We fit round what they want but we keep it simple.”

The next session looks at diet in detail and each participant is asked to keep a food diary for three days.

“We don’t devise a diet for the participant, we simply give nutritional advice,” Guy continued. “It is up to them whether they take it.

“Keeping a food diary is an interesting exercise and it is surprising because even people who think they have a good diet find areas in need of improvement once they really look closely at what they’re consuming. This could be something as simple as not drinking enough water.”

By the fourth session, the participant should be getting some idea of where they’re heading and how they’re finding the programme. This meeting is a chance to check how things are going and make any changes such as upgrading strong areas or adjusting weak ones.

One of the main hurdles to success in the gym is lack of motivation or frustration at the rate of progress, so the fifth session looks at the participant’s mindset, to find out what they’re thinking and how they’re feeling.

Guy said: “At this point we look at their attitude. If they have no clear goals or find going to the gym a chore, then they are likely to lack motivation.

“If this is the case, we will discuss how we can change their programme to rectify the situation. This could be by having a session with a personal trainer or life coach.

“On the other hand, if a person is highly motivated at this stage, then we can use the session to make changes to the programme to boost their achievements further.”

Finally, the sixth session arrives and it’s time to reassess and remeasure. “This gives the participant a chance to find out what they’ve achieved in real terms, as well as personally in terms of increased confidence or wellbeing,” said Guy.

“We ask them how they feel, what they think about the club and how they’ve enjoyed the programme. This also allows us to highlight any areas where we might need to fine-tune our service.”

Although club membership is not a requirement to take part in the programme, most participants go on to become members.

One new member who has just finished the programme is 27-year-old Kerry Hattle from Farnborough. She wanted to lose weight, but she felt she couldn’t go it alone and decided to try the programme.

“I had looked at one or two other gyms, but I found them a bit off-putting,” she said. “But at Energie I didn’t feel awkward because of my size and they were great right from the start.

“When you walk in you don’t feel as if anyone is looking down on you, and this makes you feel confident rather than shy or embarrassed.

“I liked the programme because it was made to suit me. I didn’t want to run, so my trainer, Caroline, devised a walking programme for me instead. And it’s worked.”

She has lost nearly 9lb in weight, 1½ inches from her stomach and hips and an inch from around her thighs — which means she has dropped a dress size.

“I’m aiming to lose four or five stone by December and I feel so positive now. I really think I’m going to be able to do it,” said Caroline.

For details of the Empower programme and Energie Fitness Club, call 01252 515515.