The hardest step is getting off the sofa and leaving the house!

Running is the easiest way to get fitter and is incredibly effective at making you mentally and physically healthier.

If you’re looking to improve your fitness, check out these seven running routes, applicable to all running abilities and distances.

All of the following locations are open and free-to-use:

JUMEIRAH BEACH

One of the most scenic places to run in the city and the beauty of it is you can actually follow a designated, soft-surface running track with markings.

Starting at Umm Suqeim Beach (Sunset Beach) under the gaze of the iconic Burj Al Arab, the 7km stretch takes you past Kite Beach and all the way down to Jumeirah 1. If you then turn around and go back, you’ll clock up 14km.

It’s never overly busy and it’s easy to stop for a drink or stretch mid-run too. In addition, it has a really fun vibe at the weekend.

DUBAI WATER CANAL

One of the newest running routes around when it was completed in late 2016, take in 6.4km of the waterfront and mix it up with as many as five pedestrian bridges.

A stunning view of the Downtown skyline will accompany you and it is also easy to link-up with the Jumeirah beaches via Al Maktoum Bridge. The best access to the canal is from Business Bay and Al Habtoor City if you’re coming from Sheikh Zayed Road.

AL BARSHA POND PARK

A short and sharp 1.4km running track that surrounds the pond and is marked every 100m. Perfect for speed work or interval training rather than the long run. Busier in the evenings with plenty of people working out.

AL ITTIHAD PARK

Sticking with the Palm, the park area next to the Golden Mile Galleria has a lovely 2.7km track loop interspersed with workout stations and is a good way to work up an evening sweat if you’re short on time.

DUBAI MARINA

The 9km loop is perhaps the best location to run in Dubai (particularly if you live in the populous Jumeirah Lake Towers or JBR) and has fantastic views to match.

The Marina boasts a completely flat surface with a few short inclines (steps) as you cross two bridges on the full route, with one of them being close to the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dubai and then the other next to the unmissable Cayan Tower.

There are also four other bridges linked up with the Marina which means it is possible to run short distances, or repeats, giving flexibility to tweak your volume.

In the early morning and daytime, the venue is pretty much empty but is a lot busier in the evening with running groups meeting at Dubai Marina Mall often.

JLT PARK

A popular spot for an outdoor session in the evenings, JLT has a spongy blue running track and free-to-use upper-body and core workout machines. The green bowl and attached parks are also good for a kick around or a few overs of cricket!

GREENS/EMIRATES HILL

This is a kind 10km loop, starting at the Greens and running back around until you’re finished at Emirates Hill. On the route, you’ll take in Jebel Ali Racecourse and part of First Al Khail Street (behind JLT) on your way to knocking off the top distance.