What’s your New Year’s resolution for 2010?

If you said lose weight or get in shape, you’re not alone. Quite possibly the most popular goal to start a new year centers around stepping into a smaller dress size or the ability to climb a flight of stairs without wheezing at the top.

Pat Dayton owner of Curves, a women’s only fitness center, took those fitness and weight loss goals to heart and created the Curves Fitness Challenge, which kicked off last week for members at her Granite Bay and Orangevale clubs and continues through April.

“I wanted to help my members achieve their own personal fitness goals, whether that was losing weight, gaining self esteem or helping them get off medications,” Dayton said. “I didn’t want to do a ‘Biggest Loser’-type competition because that doesn’t work for everybody.”

The Curves Fitness Challenge combines 30-minute fitness circuits several times a week with health, diet and nutrition courses to educate challengers on a multi faceted level, Dayton said.

“I designed the program so that no matter what the members’ goals were they had a tailor-made program to suit it,” Dayton said. “They’re getting all the personal training knowledge without having to pay extra for it.”

Because the challengers are not competing against each other, there is no ultimate prize. Instead the challengers are granted points throughout the competition for completing educational courses, exercising regularly and weighing in on a weekly basis, which they can later use on vitamin supplements or other Curves nutrition products.

However, that’s not to say that the participants don’t have small rewards picked out for them at the end of the challenge.

With goals of losing weight and reducing their body fat for some or, for one challenger finding a new lease on life, meet four Granite Bay Curves challengers as they embark on their fitness journey.

We’ll follow up with them periodically between now and April to check up on their progress, the challenges and their successes.

Meet the challengers:

Bonnie Bensen

Age: 43

Starting weight: 155

Goal Weight: 135

With 2009 a mere memory, Bonnie Bensen delighted in waving the past year’s worries and stress goodbye.

The weight that came with 2009’s worrying and stressing, however, was a different story.

“I had lost 40 pounds before last year, but my husband’s business struggled and between raising two kids 30 pounds have come back.”

Bensen, who works full time, has two active teenaged daughters and has always had a standing appointment weekday mornings with a neighbor to exercise.

While regular exercise has always been a habit, watching what she eats will be Bensen’s biggest obstacle during the challenge.

“My husband and daughters are the cooks in my house,” Bensen said. “Getting them to get behind a new diet and breaking my morning mocha habit is going to be the most difficult.”

And her reward for meeting her 135 pound goal weight?

“Fitting into all of the clothes I wore after I lost the first 40 pounds,” Bensen said.

Cathy Bohannon

Age: 61

Starting weight: 179

Goal weight: 164

When Cathy Bohannon celebrates her one-year anniversary of joining Curves, she’ll also celebrate something she never realized she lost.

Her smile.

After losing her son, sister, husband and mother-in-law in a matter of eight years, Bohannon found herself sinking into a depression and a reluctant to be out in public.

“I didn’t really want to see anyone or talk about how I was doing,” Bohannon said. “It was easier to be around my horses and dogs than face the loss I had gone through.”

Determined to get out of her depression and in better shape, Bohannon joined Curves and said she’s found another family of sorts in the women that she exercises with on a weekly basis.

Having already lost 15 pounds and 16 percent of her total body fat, Bohannon’s goal for the next four months is to double her weight loss and continue reducing her overall body fat.

Her treat to herself for meeting her fitness challenge goal?

“I’d love to go buy myself an evening dress,” Bohannon said. “Not that I have anywhere to wear it to, but who knows what could happen?”

The ultimate reward Bohannon said will be increased confidence and motivation to keep moving toward a healthier and happier new self.

Karen Reid

Age: 58

Current Weight: 176

Goal Weight: 166

Karen Reid has her 90-year-old aunt, Pearl, as motivation to keep healthy.

Reid’s aunt began walking regularly to stay in shape at 50 and now, at 90, is active on a daily basis playing golf or taking a jaunt around her neighborhood.

“I’m getting older, things are starting to creak and arthritis runs in my family,” Reid said. “But I’m hoping that at 90, I’m chugging along like Pearl.”

Aside from strengthening her bones, Reid is hoping to show off a svelte, trim figure for her daughter’s wedding in April.

“I’m focusing on picking up the intensity of my workouts and on doing more strengthening exercises like yoga,” Reid said.

A fourth-grade teacher at Ridgeview Elementary School, Reid said she’ll have a daily reminder to keep her on track with her workouts.

“I can tell when I haven’t been good at working out because it’s harder to get up off the floor.” Reid said.

Although showing off a new body in spring is something to look forward to, Reid said another reward will come in June when she and her husband embark on a vacation to Germany.

“Going on extra hikes and keeping up with sightseeing will be the real reward,” Reid said.

Toni Reidt

Age: 65

Current weight: 200

Goal Weight: 185

All Toni Reidt has to do for motivation to keep moving is to check the mail.

“Everyday I get ads in the mail for motorized scooters. It’s hard for me to realize that I’m that age. I just recently got my Medicare card in the mail,” Reidt said of turning 65.

Four years ago, Reidt hobbled into the Granite Bay Curves on a set of crutches and signed on for a membership.

Since then, Reidt has lowered her blood pressure and cholesterol, lost 30 pounds and the crutches.

With more weight to lose, Reidt’s goal for 2010 is to feel better about herself at 65. Trimming down to keep her knee healthy and her body moving should do the trick, but Reidt also has a pint-sized cheering section on her side.

A grandmother to four children aged 1-6 years, Reidt said she can always count on them for words of encouragement.

“My 4-year-old grandson looked at me the other day and said ‘Grandma you look so good,’” Reidt said. “That’s motivation enough for me.”