1. Cycling tour Laos

Get fit cycling up to 50 miles a day through Laos. Roads are mostly easy and quiet, rest vehicles are on...#8209;hand should you tire during the few challenging climbs, and massages from local therapists are available en route. Starting in Chiang Rai in Thailand and ending in the Laos capital Vientiane.

• 020-7502 7252, redspokes.co.uk. From £755pp for 14 days inc transfers from Bangkok, most meals, all accommodation and guides, exc flights

2. Running the Highlands Scotland

Sick of pounding the pavements? Find a renewed sense of enthusiasm on these off-road guided runs, tailored to your training goals, over the idyllic moorland of the Balmoral Estate. Accommodation is in the estate staff's quarters in single rooms. Pilates, nutrition advice and talks are included, with sports massage and activities such as biking, archery, pony-trekking and fishing also available on request.

• 08451 577 422, runningthehighlands.com. Weekend full board from £264pp, including three guided runs

3. Pilates breaks Sussex

Fitness instructor and pilates teacher Jo Southgate's rejuvenation weekends combine pilates with walking and meditation. Her base is Duncton Mill in Sussex, an 18th-century farmhouse with cottages and converted outbuildings set around a tranquil stream-fed trout pond. Additional activities such as yoga, tai chi, posture analysis, painting and holistic workshops are often included, and reflexology and massages are available.

• 01322 276195, superjosouthgate@yahoo.co.uk. From £270pp for two nights' full board, treatments from £30 per 55-minute session.

4. Walking spa UK

Fitness and diet consultant Joanna Hall runs three-day walking weekends, including spa treatments and workshops on how to improve posture, fitness and body tone while you walk. Venues include Ragdale Hall in Leicestershire and the eco-friendly Titanic Spa in Yorkshire.

• 020-7729 6223, joannahall.com. From £355pp based on two sharing

5. Army boot camp, Mallorca

This fitness week is run by former army PT instructors. You'll be up at 6am every day and none of the activities are optional, but as well as military-style circuits, activities include beach games, abseiling, gorge walking and mountain biking. Meals are organic - and the hosts promise not to shout in your face.

• 0871 218 0700, mereobootcamp.com. From £999pp per week in Jan, Feb or March (usual rate £1,500), exc flights. Most budget airlines fly to Palma

• Caroline Sylger Jones is the editor of queenofretreats.com and author of Body & Soul Escapes and Body & Soul Escapes: Britain & Ireland