The credit card’s still smoking, your jeans are suddenly unforgiving, and that shiny New Year glow has fizzled out before the kettle’s boiled.
If you’ve seen me online talking about health, you might think I’d be barking orders: get disciplined, crack on, fix everything now.
Honestly? That’s the worst advice for January.
This month isn’t made for reinvention. It’s for taking stock.
Think of it as laying the cables before you switch the power back on.
You gather tools, notice what your body actually responds to, and build a bit of traction so that when February arrives, you’re not forcing change — you’re ready for it.
The One Line I Won’t Bend On: Alcohol Has to Go
There’s one boundary I don’t negotiate with anymore: alcohol.
I’ve been sober for almost 20 years, and I genuinely believe more people should try it — even temporarily, even experimentally.
I won’t pretend it’s painless. Early sobriety can feel like walking into social situations without your protective layer.
And the habit of pouring a drink at the end of a long day? That ritual runs deep.
I’m not interested in judging anyone. I just wish someone had been more honest with me sooner.
Years ago, when I wrote It’s Not A Diet, I said I wasn’t fully anti-alcohol.
Time, research and lived experience have changed my mind.
Alcohol disrupts the brain immediately. It’s a class-A carcinogen.
Even one large glass of wine a day has been linked to a significant rise in breast cancer risk.
That’s not moralising — it’s biology.
We Don’t Drink for the Taste — We Drink to Feel Different
Let’s be honest: no one reaches for their third prosecco because it pairs beautifully with a supermarket sandwich.
We drink because we want to change how we feel.
I grew up in Lancashire, had a happy childhood, and drinking was just what people did.
By 17, I was in Hollyoaks, earning my own money, with freedom and a nightlife that perfectly matched my ADHD brain.
I’d go out Friday and resurface on Monday. Raves worked for me.
I don’t see ADHD as a disorder — just a different operating system.
But it does mean lower baseline dopamine, which brings boredom intolerance and impulsivity.
Alcohol gave me something my brain was craving.
The Chemical Hook I Didn’t See Coming
What kept pulling me back wasn’t drunkenness — it was energy.
When alcohol is metabolised, it creates acetate, a fast fuel for the brain.
For me, it filled gaps left by low dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Briefly, I felt level.
Then motherhood arrived. After IVF and the birth of my first son in 2007, my hormones didn’t dip — they collapsed.
Oestrogen and progesterone fell off a cliff, taking serotonin and dopamine with them.
Cortisol took over. My thoughts spiralled into constant catastrophe: fires, accidents, kidnappings.
I went to the GP, but instead of investigating hormones, I was sent to psychiatry, labelled bipolar and depressed, and put on heavy medication that flattened me.
My hands shook constantly. Alcohol was the only thing that briefly steadied them, so I started drinking in the daytime just to cope.
Rehab Wasn’t the Cure — Learning Was
I went into rehab in 2009. It didn’t magically fix me, but it did give me tools — ones I still use.
When I stopped drinking without understanding how to support my body metabolically, it felt like my brain had been unplugged.
Food rushed in to replace alcohol. Comfort eating became my escape.
After my mum died in 2013, my weight climbed to 14 stone.
By the time my third son was born in 2014, everyday life felt overwhelming.
If Tesco didn’t have a parent-and-child parking space, I’d drive home.
That wasn’t laziness — it was burnout at a cellular level.
The Day the Lights Came Back On
Everything shifted when a new GP questioned the medication I’d been on for a decade and carefully took me off it.
Within weeks, it felt like someone had turned the brightness up in my head.
Around then, my husband Matthew introduced me to Dave Asprey’s work.
One suggestion — adding MCT oil to black coffee — sounded simple, almost silly.
But when my body started producing ketones, something unexpected happened: I wanted to move.
Five minutes of walking became ten. Then 20. Then 40.
I added music from my clubbing days and started running during the choruses.
Food as Fuel, Not Punishment
I ditched ultra-processed foods and seed oils, bringing back real fats, protein and whole foods.
The fog lifted. My skin changed.
Hunger stopped shouting at me. Over six months, I lost four stone without dieting.
MCT was doing what GLP-1 drugs promise now — years before they existed.
This is biohacking: using food, light, movement and curiosity to work with your biology instead of fighting it.
I read obsessively and experimented gently, stacking small changes that added up.
Why Nature and Light Matter More Than We Think
I learned that sunlight filtering through green leaves creates infrared light that calms the nervous system — which is why forests feel soothing.
I stopped hiding behind sunglasses all the time.
Light entering the eyes tells your brain what time it is, setting your circadian rhythm, which governs sleep, hormones, mood and appetite.
Mess with those signals and everything else wobbles.
Tiny Habits, Real Shifts
Five minutes of deep breathing can settle your nervous system.
Cold water wakes the brain, reduces inflammation and sharpens focus.
Heat — from a sauna or a hot bath — helps the body repair and unwind.
There are deeper tools too: red-light therapy beds, hyperbaric oxygen chambers.
None are mandatory. Think of it as a menu, not a prescription.
Building a Life That Can Hold You
I launched WillPowders in 2021 to share what genuinely helped me. I’m not rigid.
I still love Monster Munch and Mint Aero. I’ll have a Chinese takeaway — just with protein beforehand so I don’t spiral.
If I stopped supporting my biology, my mood would slip.
These habits stack into resilience — something I need with four boys.
Every morning I remind myself: You’re an alcoholic. Don’t drink today.
There’s no shame in that. Just gratitude for the life I rebuilt by understanding how my body works.
Strength, Not Youth, Is the Goal
Last year I did a biological age test. It came back at 20. The number doesn’t matter.
What matters is how I feel: clear-headed, strong, resilient. I’m not battling my body anymore — I’m on its side.
Longevity is personal for me. My great-grandmother lived into her 80s.
My grandmother died in her 70s. My mum died at 60. This isn’t about vanity.
It’s about staying capable, present and alive — on my terms, for as long as I can.
Fast Ways to Feel Better (Without Beating Yourself Up)
Stop the January Shame Spiral
Assume others are smashing it? They’re not. Message a friend and admit January’s flattening you.
Connection kills shame — and shame drives overeating.
Spend Smart on Support
Infra-red saunas, weighted blankets, sleep-tracking watches, non-toxic air fryers — tech can help habits stick when willpower can’t.
Fix Your Lighting
Circadian-friendly bulbs and sunrise-style alarm clocks help regulate mood, sleep and energy far more than people realise.
Breathe Like You Mean It
Five minutes of fast, powerful nasal breathing (Breath of Fire) can lift mood and energy dramatically.
Embrace the Cold
Cold showers or baths boost dopamine, calm the nervous system and fire up your mitochondria. Start with 15 seconds at the end of a shower.
Get Fluent in Sugar
Learn its aliases. Once you see how often it’s added to hook you, labels look very different.
Track Food and Feelings
For one week, note how ultra-processed snacks make you feel 15 minutes later. Satisfaction or another craving?
Choose the Right Magnesium
Avoid cheap citrate. Magnesium glycinate with L-theanine calms the nervous system and takes the edge off cortisol.
Walk Uphill
A gentle incline walk burns fat, supports the heart, reduces stress hormones and builds confidence — without wrecking your joints.
January doesn’t need perfection. It needs kindness, curiosity and a bit of patience. February will take care of the rest.
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