12 Health And Fitness Tips For 2018, From Female Professional Athletes

'My best advice would be to find new ways to take your fitness up a notch. For example, I've got really into indoor climbing - it's about as far from a tennis court as you can get! But it's great for fitness, making me stronger, and challenges my body and my mind in new ways. That will only help me when I'm competing on court.'

Johanna is the British No.1 and world number 9 in female tennis. In 2017, she reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

Follow Jo and the GB Team at the Fed Cup in Estonia, 9th-11th February.

'Don't let not having access to a gym be the reason why you can't reach your 2018 goals. Bodyweight home circuits can be just as effective. I complete a daily exercise circuit such as 25 squats, 25 calf raises and 25 sit-ups which all require a small amount of space, all of which can be done at home.'

Desiree is a 100m and 200m sprinter for Team GB. She won a bronze Olympic medal as part of the British relay 4x100m team at the 2016 Rio games and a silver medal at the World Championships in London last year.

Follow Desiree on Twitter.

'Mindset is a vital tool that is often underused and frequently overlooked. The correct mindset can create a better environment for succeeding with new goals you may have. If you want to get fitter and healthier you have to ensure you are being realistic about what you want to achieve and kind to yourself. 

'Mindset isn't just about being hardy and tough, it's about recognising what is possible and creating a challenging but achievable plan of reaching the goal you have. The right mindset will ensure you are more relaxed and able to enjoy the journey to creating the outcome you have. Mindset will also ensure you are able to take the rough with the smooth and can look yourself in the mirror and be honest about what needs to be done whether that's better diet, more exercise or more sleep.'

Dame Sarah is a British road and track racing cyclist. She is the most successful female British Paralympian of all time.

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'My tip for the year is to try and exercise with a friend or group of friends, setting up different challenges. It makes it more fun and, by making the commitment, you will stick to it.'

Claudia is a four times Commonwealth game champion gymnast for England. Last year, she won bronze for the floor at the 2017 World Championships.

Follow Claudia on Instagram.

'If you're looking to improve cardio, I'd firstly start by having some sort of goal you can work towards, so a 10k or a half marathon. Cardio is something that a lot of people don't enjoy but if you keep it varied, try different surfaces, paces and exercises then you can keep it interesting and will reap the benefits. You could even sign up to one of the free weekly run clubs in London.'

Lynsey is a GB Olympian for the 800m. In 2012, she won gold at the European championship.

Lynsey is also an ambassador for Adidas and is supporting the Adidas City Runs Series.

'Take it a day at a time and don't punish yourself for making a mistake, just start again. Remember we don't sweat, we glow and it's worth it.'

Asha is a 100m sprinter for Team GB. She was on the 4x100m Olympic bronze medal team and the silver world championships team. In 2017, she won gold at the European Indoor Championships for the 60m sprint.

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'Make it easy for yourself. In the case of cycling it can be hard to train when travelling due to the kit required or to motivate yourself to go out when it's pouring with rain or freezing cold so I'm not afraid to train inside if needed. I can jump on the turbo or static bike. Also, don't forget about strength and conditioning, I train in the gym around twice a week which compliments my training on the bike.'

Elinor is an Olympic world and european champion cyclist and won gold at Rio 2016 in the team pursuit. She is also a world record holder.

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'Consistency is key and not just about pushing the effort in your workouts, its everything else around it including your nutrition, rest and recovery. It is also easy to neglect your core but it is your foundation for everything and makes a difference to your strength and cardio workouts, so be mindful to work on it consistently.'

Shelayna is a Team GB 800m runner, Olympian and world finalist. Last year, she won silver at the European Indoor Championships.

Follow Shelayna on Twitter.

'My best advice is regardless of what programme or regime you're on, to drink plenty of water everyday especially as you wake up and before you go to bed. Hydration is paramount.'

Bianca is an Olympics bronze medal holder and gold world championship holder for taekwondo.

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'I train everyday, and if I had to do the same routines and sessions over and over, I would quickly become very bored and demotivated. To make sure training doesn't become too tedious, I like to change things up all the time, whether that be in my warm up or my actual session. Don't feel like you have to stick to a normal fitness routine, be daring enough to throw something in there that you usually wouldn't do, such as interval runs instead of your long run, or a Zumba class instead of yoga. 

'Whatever it might be, you'll find that not only will you be more motivated by the new challenge but your body will benefit from the new stimulus.'

Laviai is a 400m sprinter and a world championship silver medallist for the 4x400m relay.

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'Always make sure you eat and fuel yourself before your workout. I will normally have eggs in different variations for breakfast, toast and some avocado. The eggs are a good source of protein and not too heavy. After working out you always want to try and eat within one hour of finishing. Your body breaks down a lot of protein when you work out so you want to try and replace that as quickly as possible as this helps with recovery. 

'Another tip for working out in general is, when you first start your body will be sore, but the more consistent you get with it the less sore it will be, because your muscles will get used to getting worked. Big gaps between workouts actually make it harder on yourself because you aren't retaining your fitness and building on it, it's almost like starting from square one with a large gap you take between stopping.'

Lorraine is a British record holder for the long jump. She was an Olympic finalist in Rio and won silver at the European Indoor Championships in 2017.

Follow Lorraine on Twitter and Instagram.

'Living a healthy life is really a combination of things. I would say exercise regularly, eat well, make good choices and think positively.'

Steph is captain of the England women's football team and for Manchester City's women's team. She led the England side to their first World Cup semi-finals ever in 2015. She also was part of Team GB at the 2012 Olympics.

Follow the England Lionesses on Twitter.