Squarely: A Fresh Take on January Wellness

by Sarah Bayliss, Nutritional Therapist

January typically brings promises of crash diets and extreme fitness regimens. But what if we reframed this annual reset around building resilience instead? 

Statistics show that 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by February. Perhaps that’s because we focus on restriction rather than building something meaningful – like resilience. Most people think of resilience as mental fortitude – the ability to bounce back from setbacks through sheer willpower. While psychological strength matters, true resilience begins at a cellular level. It’s your body’s capacity to adapt to stress, maintain stability, and recover efficiently. This biological resilience forms the foundation for everything, from mental clarity to emotional balance.

In our modern world of convenience foods and rushed meals, we’ve lost sight of the fundamental truth. We are, quite literally, built from what we eat. Every cell, tissue, and organ is constructed from and maintained by the nutrients we consume. In my new book DO/ Nourish: How to Eat for Resilience, I explore how proper nourishment builds cellular resilience from the ground up.

Modern life constantly challenges our resilience through chronic stress, poorsleep, excess technology and processed foods – which now make up nearly 57% of the UK’s energy intake (Source). However, when you focus on giving your body what it needs, the cravings for less nourishing foods naturally begin to fade. 

The fundamental principle is simple yet powerful: feed your body what it needs but cannot produce itself. Every bite sends messages to your cells, influencing everything from energy production to stress response. When we’re properly nourished, we think clearer, recover faster, and maintain steady energy throughout the day. This cellular support translates into tangible benefits: better stress management, improved focus, and faster recovery from life’s challenges.

While January offers an opportunity for fresh starts, building resilience is a year-round journey. Instead of depleting ourselves through unbalanced and restrictive diets, we can use this time to build our internal resources through conscious nutrition. The key is making small, sustainable changes rather than dramatic overhauls that often lead to frustration and abandonment.

The book provides a practical six-week plan that adapts to your schedule and needs. Rather than complicated recipes or strict meal plans, you’ll make one small adjustment each week. You’ll learn how to build a balanced plate using just your hands – no weighing or measuring required. 

Most importantly, you’ll shift from asking “What should I eat?” to “How do I want to feel?” This simple question transforms your relationship with food from one driven by immediate cravings to one focused on true nourishment. Instead of choosing foods that provide temporary pleasure but ultimately drain our energy, we learn to select foods that fuel our cells efficiently. When our cells are properly nourished, we have the sustained energy not just to handle life’s challenges, but to pursue our dreams and live life to its fullest potential. This approach transformed my own life after nearly burning out in my London marketing career. Understanding how nutrition impacts cellular resilience became my pathway not just to better health, but to a new career as a nutritional therapist specialising in metabolic health and energy management. Through working with many clients, I’ve seen first-hand how building nutritional resilience can transform everything from physical health to overall quality of life.

DO/Nourish makes complex science beautifully simple, providing an empowering framework for long-term health. True resilience isn’t built through deprivation – it’s cultivated through consistent, nourishing choices that support your body’s natural capacity to thrive. Start your resilience journey this January with a fresh perspective on what it means to truly nourish yourself from the inside out.

DO/Nourish is published by Do Books and is available in paperback and ebook form from on January 2nd.