2010: Your Healthiest Year

It's a brand new year and you're full of enthusiasm to get healthier and fitter than ever before. The Prevention team share their healthy lifestyle goals for 2010.

Being an all-or-nothing kind of person means I'm either avoiding exercise or trying, and failing, to do too much. I used to think any workout less than an hour was a waste of time. But thanks to our fitness writers at Prevention, I now know that slotting mini-workouts into my day delivers multiple benefits: heightened confidence, improved body image and a fiery metabolism, for starters.

If my heart ramps up to a decent clip more than once a day, I'll benefit in much the same way as if I were working out more intensely; and splitting the activity into shorter periods means I'm much more likely to do it.

So next year, I'm waving goodbye to my tired excuse that there's no time. There's plenty. I'm going to find 20 minutes before breakfast, 30 minutes after work and maybe even 15 minutes at lunch. I will keep my engine humming, instead of running it into the ground.
-Charlotte Fish, Copy Editor

My goal for 2010 is to ditch my intensive cardio workouts and instead focus on yoga, pilates and walking—exercise doesn't need to mean blood, sweat and tears. I need more calm in my life, not more stress!
-Amanda Goff, Beauty Editor

I want to salsa like Gloria Estefan. I've done a couple of beginner's dance courses but never taken things to the next level and made Latino fever a regular part of my life. I've even been to Cuba and caught the Latin music bug, but so far I haven't committed to improving my moves once and for all. Well 2010 is it! I'm gonna turn the beat around. I see salsa as a great way to stay social, keep fit and work out my mind at the same time. Areba!
-Jennifer Pinkerton, Features Editor

In 2010 I'm going to eat a lot healthier. No more eating the amazing cakes that get brought into the office ... or the muffins or the jelly beans, the list goes on! I also want to make sure I keep exercising at least three times a week. A few of us ladies have boxing once a week after work and the other evenings I run with my partner to the beach and then we do boxing. Something about living in Australia makes me want to be and feel healthier. I never felt like that back home in England.
-Amanda Geyer, Picture Editor/Designer

I don't believe in making goals that I don't really intend on keeping. I'm happy with my health routine. I may be a little obsessed with running (always aiming to run further, faster, up steeper hills...) but I've come to realise that for me, at this point in my life, that's what works. There's nothing like the feeling when, mid-run, I find my pace and it just clicks. For 2010, I don't want to change a thing.
-Donna Kilby, Online Editor

I'm keen to just keep my fitness momentum going—exercising at least 3 times a week and learning to cook healthier meals (although it will be easier said than done after the Festive Season celebrations!). There is also a little voice in the back of my mind wondering if I should try and cut down my caffeine intake ... but those cappuccinos are so good in the morning! We'll see in January ... small steps!
-Nikki Price, Art Editor

This year I aim to drive as little as possible and ride my bike everywhere. I want to keep up my rock climbing training, and do a lot more bushwalking with my parents. I’ve promised my kayak that it will see more water than it did in 2009, which also goes for my dive gear. I don't intend to be inside much, but when I am, I plan to be contentedly exhausted. There will hopefully be a blender in my life too—I never have time to cook, but want to eat more veg! Hopefully someone will give me one for Christmas, as it could be a cumbersome purchase to ride home with...
-Sam Gibbs, Fitness/Walking Editor

My healthy life style goal for 2010 is to make sure that I do some form of exercise everyday.
-Paula Westerman, Art Director

My healthy lifestyle goal for 2010 is to not sweat the small stuff. I am most likely to fail when I have a long list of "shoulds" in my life. For example, when I tell myself that I "should" be going to the gym a punishing seven days a week. I now realise that this is only going to make me miserable, when a doable four times a week, for me, is more than enough.

No one is perfect, and I am determined that 2010 will be the year that I get it right by letting a few small things be "wrong".
-Christina Sexton, Editorial Coordinator

My biggest healthy lifestyle goal for 2010 will be to stop looking for time to exercise and start making it. With any kind of change, whether it be a new job or moving to a new suburb, a routine that was once working so well for you can unravel in a flash. You rush to your favourite yoga class only to find you're too late and have been locked out. Your comfortable evening gym session has become a nasty morning one which you (and by 'you' I mean 'me'!) struggle to get to let-alone enjoy. So, next year I'm going to try to grab back the activities I used to get so much enjoyment from and try to make them a regular part of my lifestyle once again.
-Karen Burge, Health Editor

WHAT ARE YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE GOALS FOR 2010? Leave a comment below or chat on the message boards

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