Happy new year! How are we all feeling this side of Christmas? I hope you had a wonderful time and still fit into your jeans.

For two people with small children, I thought our celebrations were fairly rock‘n’roll. That was until I talked to Naughty Nana, who had been singing O Come All Ye Faithful around a bonfire with the guitarist from Black Sabbath. Amazing what they get up to in the Cotswolds.

As usual, I slid down a slippery, sugary slope but have dragged myself back up. There is lots of green juice and vegetables in my world right now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m about to reach the end of our Beat the Couch 5-8-10k training and there is nothing like an imminent race for motivation. It is much easier to run when you are full of good food rather than mince pies. By the time January came around, I was ready for a fresh start and some new year’s resolutions.

I’m a fan of the resolution ritual but only when it’s used in a positive way. If you set yourself a goal but do not live up to your own expectations (or the expectations of others), it can be a thoroughly depressing experience.

If your resolutions revolve around things you can’t have, or have to do, the negativity is already in play. But what if your resolutions were based on things you want to have and want to do? Doesn’t that sound an awful lot easier?

Earlier this week, an article by Mark Manson started doing the rounds over the internet. His thought was, what if the most important question you ever asked yourself wasn’t “what do I want out of life?”, the answer to which is almost unanimously to be happy, fulfilled and financially carefree, but “what am I willing to struggle for?”

It’s an interesting twist on a common concept. Manson argues that most happiness involves, or requires, an element of struggle. For example, long-lasting, happy marriages need hard work and a willingness to persist despite mundane, awkward or disappointing elements of relationships. To get the happy, you have to be OK with the struggle.

Manson says: “To get good at dealing with negative experiences is to get good at dealing with life.” So life gets an awful lot easier if you identify the things you are willing to struggle for.

He says: “People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who get in good shape. People who enjoy long work weeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who move up it. People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainty of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.”

I don’t think you have to panic if you don’t normally enjoy the gym or healthy eating. Does it mean you’re doomed to failure? No. But ask yourself this: Do you really want the end result? Is it a reality you are willing to struggle for, or a fantasy you are not really engaged in?

If you want it, although all the temptations of our food environment make healthy eating tricky, the “struggle” doesn’t have to be such a struggle.

Sometimes it comes down to a simple, lightbulb moment of choice. Are you going to enjoy this process or torture yourself with it? From a health perspective, what if your normally negative restriction of alcohol, sugar or fried food becomes a positive gateway to goal-achieving, healthy-living nirvana? What if not having the sugar becomes something you enjoy or is, at the very least, something you are willing to tolerate?

At the risk of sounding like I’m about to whip out crystals and balance my chakras, if you embrace the journey — if you mindfully and thoughtfully connect with your true values — then you can buckle up and enjoy the ride.

For me, health is a value of epic proportions. I connect it to getting the best out of every single day and to my ability to give my best at home and at work.

If I have blood-sugar blues, caffeine-driven anxiety or embarrassing bathroom issues, they are going to get in the way.

My motivation for consistently making healthy choices comes down to two things: genuinely wanting to eat the way I do and having the knowledge, tips and tricks up my sleeve to make it a practical reality.

In 2007 I launched Nutrifit, our six-week optimum nutrition programme. I did it partially out of financial desperation (I had $800 stolen from me at the ATM when I was newly-wed and newly-broke. True story) but, more importantly, I did it because I wanted to share an easier way to make healthy choices.

Understanding exactly how my body worked and why some things were nourishing and others were not made all the difference. Couple that with a list of genuinely healthy products and recipes for home-made, delicious, amazing food and we were on to a winner. We explain the why, we make it easy and we support you as you go. People tell me all the time that they “actually enjoy” the programme. That, simply put, is why it works!

Let me end with this. What if 2016 was your healthiest year yet? What could you achieve? What would you do? How would you feel? If you are ready to explore that, if health is one of your values, then join our January programme. We start on Wednesday and, thanks to a variety of coverage options, it’s more accessible than ever. Have a look online, find me on Facebook, or feel free to give me a call. Let’s go!

• The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is the managing director of Natural Ltd and a fully qualified nutritional therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the UK. Please note that she is not a registered dietitian. For details, please go to www.natural.bm or call 236-7511. Join Catherine on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nutrifitandnaturalnutritionbermuda