Nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo: Get a clean start to the New Year, how to achieve your goals in 2025

Many of us start thinking about our New Years resolutions after our over indulgence towards the end of the year and Christmas where many of us are at the point of feeling fed up — yes there is a pun here — puffy, tired, bloated and just not great so we are really craving the wellness feeling.

This feeling catapults many of us into feeling so inspired to feeling our best selves and hitting our health goals — so bring on the New Years resolutions!

With the New Year brings a clean slate, a time to start over again, the wonderful feeling of new beginnings.

Research shows that 14.8 million Australians — that is 73 per cent of us — will set a goal for the new year but 90 per cent of us will fail.

Interestingly we humans have embraced the concept of new years resolutions for over the past 4000 years.

Historically the first recorded pledge are the Ancient Babylonians 4000 years ago, they are the first known civilisation to honour the new year but they did this in mid March when crops were being planted, back then the resolutions were intertwined with power, socioeconomic values, mythology and religion.

Historically, the first mention of January 1 as the start of the new year was with the Julian calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC with this new date honouring the Roman god Janus.

Symbolically Janus had two faces, one to look back on the previous year and one to look forward into the new year.

Janus was the projector of doors, archways, thresholds and transitions into new beginnings, and I find it fascinating that we still see this the same way today.

Collectively, our top news year’s resolutions include to exercise more, next is to lose weight, followed by being better organised.

Other popular ones are to be healthier, sleep more, save money, pay down debts, learn a new skill, spend more time in nature, travel, read more, develop a hobby, drink less, quit smoking, get a new job, volunteer, do random acts of kindness, clean out your home, work on brain health, plan and prep meals, be more grateful, start meditating, self care, manage stress better and learn a language.

It is really exciting to have all these wonderful positive changes to make ahead, even though new years resolutions can have a bad rap they actually shouldn’t because the new year provides a mentally a positive fresh start, that feeling of freedom to put last year behind you and embrace wholeheartedly the wonderful feeling of growth, positivity and success.

The key to a New Year’s resolution is to make them attainable, achievable and yet still something that is aspirational all at once.

You need to be able to see the reality of you achieving this honestly.

Sometimes picking something small and building on it is a better approach.

If you choose something that is a big overhaul or unrealistic then you are setting yourself up for a lot of frustration, disappointment and failure.

Small steps and taking things day by day is the best approach. Setting small goals along the way.

The first point of action is to be clear on your resolution, rather than wanting to be “healthier” break down the facets of health you want to work on.

For example if part of being healthier is to do more exercise then work out how you are actually going to do it.

The key to new years resolutions is to find the how-to-your-why, and set realistic goals.

If you are wanting to lose weight then how are you going to do it?

Would you follow a plan or see a health care practitioner?

If you want to get fit then are you going to join a gym, buddy up with someone, do it alone, follow an online program or join a group.

If you are wanting to reduce your stress, exactly how would you do this?

For example, seek professional help or work through it yourself.

The key to success is being prepared, organised, sitting down and making a plan. Keep a journal of your goals, successes, contacts and be sure to have your timetable ready to go.

You can do anything if you put your mind to it! Happy new year.