Forget seasonal spruce-ups because we’ve decided to put the spring back in our step with a kit bag of hi-end, high-tech sportswear, hard-working Italian hardware and a semi-strenuous regime.

TechnoGym’s 01 Wellness Tools were developed for both home exercisers and travellers who have the training balls to work up a sweat on the fly. It is possible to turn a corner of the house (or hotel room) into a workout space with TechnoGym’s collection of ergonomic essentials. The Wellness Bag contains elastics, handles, foot straps and ankle straps for resistance training; the Wellness Pad is illustrated with stretch techniques and folds up into a smart black bag; while the Wellness Rack comes with 16 weight discs and two bars. If Jack Bauer ever slept, we’re pretty sure he’d spend a couple of hours with the Wellness Weights and Pad before bed, and keep his Glock safely strapped inside the Wellness Bag.
www.technogym.com

Professional Swedish cyclist, Friberg, 25, has this advice for staying trim and eating well. “An hour of serious sweating – light weights, a run or cycle – three times a week coupled with a balanced diet will ensure a lean poolside physique. 01. Breakfast: I eat oatmeal or Bircher muesli with an apple or banana and coffee. I spread calorie and protein intake throughout the day to keep my metabolism high. Eating regularly will keep blood sugar levels even and prevent drops in energy. 02. Lunch: make lunch the biggest meal of the day. Start with a salad or soup to prevent overloading on carbs and bloating. 03. Dinner: don’t eat too late as your body won’t have time to digest properly before sleep, slowing metabolism, increasing the risk of weight gain and lethargy. 04. Snacks: fruit, fruit, fruit! And power bars give you the right balance of carbohydrates and sugars for energy. 05. The bottom line: regularity and moderation are key. 06. energy foods: Good energy foods have carbs and beneficial fats: bananas, oats, nuts, flapjacks, apples. 07. protein foods: Chicken breast, beef, tofu, sashimi.”
www.callefriberg.com

Appropriately for a company dedicated to constructing premium quality, professional standard outdoor garments, Ibex is based in Vermont. Founded on the philosophy that natural fibres make the best performance sportswear, Ibex has cornered the market in merino-wool active clothing. These shorts are a recent addition to Ibex’s range of superior sports products – ideal for running, cycling and rowing, indoors and out.
www.ibexwear.com

Best known for its formal hosiery that stays up under scrutiny, those darn Germans, Falke, also knit sports socks that offer optimum support for a variety of activities. The RU3 collection is designed for runners, while the wider range takes in other sports including skiing and snowboarding, trekking, golf, skating and tennis.
www.falke.com

“Alpinism” is the term coined by Patagonia to describe its design philosophy. The Californian company makes clothes for “silent sports” – skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running – or activities that don’t require a motor. As well as its hardwearing outer layers, it runs a great line in gym-friendly lightweights. Cut a dash on track and treadmill alike in this women’s vest or men’s zip-up.
www.patagonia.com

Clif Bar is lauded in the US as the only energy bar worth its oats. Named after founder Gary Erickson’s father, Clifford, the chewy flapjack was created in his mother’s kitchen after a cycling trip was spoiled by measly morsels. Over 15 years later, the brand is filling shelves with its original Clif Bar, Banana Nut Bread, Peanut Toffee Buzz and Blueberry Crisp Bars, and energy gels in Double Expresso, Mango and Razz flavours.
www.clifbar.com

We find it hard to conform at Monocle. So when Nike and Apple developed the Nike + iPod system, we looked for a way to beat it. We actually quite fancy the Air Equalon+, but right now we’re breaking in a pair of Asics, so we found a shoe pouch to pop the sensor in, strapped it to our Gel-Kinsei and trotted off round Munich’s Englischer Garten. Now, if there’s just a way to adjust the adapter to work with our video iPods…
www.asics.com

We’re not ones for therapeutic remedies, but when Martina Hingis, David Coulthard and Naoko Takahashi endorse them, we have to take a second look. Japanese sports accessories manufacturer Phiten makes titanium-laced neck and wrist bands, muscle-support tape and body rub which stimulate blood flow, and realign electrical currents through the body during exercise. Whatever, the packaging looks great.
www.phiten.com

Monocle loves the Howies attitude. The loose-footed team have been known to shut up shop on a sunny day, proof that they practise what they preach. Every season we find ourselves poring over products and admiring the tight editorial in their spruce catalogue. Always on the lookout for a raincheater for spring runs, we couldn’t resist this Cardigan Bay-blue Drizzler jacket.
www.howies.co.uk