If ever there was a summer which could peel you off that sofa and get you exercising, it’s this one. While England are performing better than expected in an entertaining 2012 European Championships, the world’s biggest sporting event, the Olympic Games, hits these shores in a little over a month’s time.

While regular exercise is great for the body and soul, sportswear is not often considered particularly fashionable. But with the right clothes, sporty does not have to mean chavvy – you don’t have to tuck your tracksuit bottoms into your socks, after all. Big high street chains such as JD Sports have a huge range of understated, classic styles which will allow you to get fit and stay looking good. With tracksuits, look for baggy sweat pants from the likes of Duffer and Brookhaven rather than the polyester Nike and Adidas styles favoured by the chav brigade. These are loose enough to be comfortable for exercise and still look good when relaxing in the garden or the park.

T-shirts, meanwhile, should be loose and comfortable, but if you plan on doing vigorous exercise, then you might want to avoid cotton. This material, while comfortable when lounging around, does not wick away sweat from the body like lightweight man-made fibres, leaving you with a hot and heavy T-shirt.

Trainers are a key fashion accessory, but are even more important when it comes to exercise. Well-fitted trainers with good support can be the difference between an enjoyable exercising experience and one which is cut short by sore feet and blisters. You could go down the tried and trusted route of Nike and Adidas, but again, there are options that will help you stand out from the crowd. As you can see here, a host of top designers produce comfortable trainers that will ensure you have a great look while you’re working out, without looking the least bit chavy.