Well, here we are. A new year, a new decade, and let us guess, a new whole new outlook to kick off 2020? We’re all there with you, full of new year’s resolutions and promises to ourselves that ‘this year will be my year.’

An American university study revealed that less than 10% of new year’s resolutions are actually upheld, with many people not even lasting through the first month of the year. The reason for this can be put down to habits, and the fact that we often make our resolutions unrealistic, and too big to manage. The key to keeping your new year’s resolutions is to choose smaller, more achievable goals, that you can fit into your lifestyle without compromising other things in your life.

For example, you can say, “I’m going stop drinking alcohol and drink 3 litres of water each day.” Sounds good, right? Some people might be able to achieve this, but for the majority of us, a social drink on the weekend is often the reward for a long working week, and those 3 litres of water soon become a glass here and there when we remember. Before we know it, we’re back in our old bad habits, and our kidneys are crying out for help!

Our kidney are vitally important organs, so much so that we have two, but we can live with only one! They perform a number of jobs, including:

• Blood pressure control – kidneys keep your blood pressure regular.
• Water balance – kidneys add excess water to other wastes, which makes your urine.
• Cleaning blood – kidneys filter your blood to remove wastes and toxins.
• Vitamin D activation – kidneys manage your body’s production of this essential vitamin, which is vital for strong bones, muscles and overall health.

Sometimes, things go wrong with our kidneys. Kidney disease affects more than 1.7 million Australians, and contributes to one in every nine deaths in the country. It affects one in ten Australian adults, and those from indigenous or remote communities, and the elderly, are the most at risk. Other people at risk include smokers, those with heart problems, diabetics, and those with a genetic family history of kidney disease.

Although no one is totally immune to kidney disease, there are a number of things that you can do to give yourself the best chance of keeping your kidneys in peak working condition.
These can include simple things like monitoring your blood pressure, keeping your diabetes in check, leading an active and healthy lifestyle, and keeping within a healthy weight range.

For those who really want to start 2020 in peak kidney condition, Total DNA Services has the ultimate test, which will point you in the right direction, helping you achieve your new year’s goals, and then some! Nutrifit is perfect for people who want to optimize their lifestyle and dietary choices according to their genetics. This test is suitable for a range of people, including:

• those wanting to gain an understanding about how to optimise their diet and lifestyle
• people looking to tailor their diets to suit their DNA
• those wanting to reduce the risk of developing readily preventable diseases.

When you start implementing the suggestions provided in your personalised results, your kidneys (and the rest of your body) will be healthier than ever!

While you’re on a role with your kidney health, how about supporting the kidneys of people throughout Australia? The Big Red BBQ is a summer initiative, supporting Kidney Health Australia.
It’s as simple as doing something that many Aussies do during the summer months; host a BBQ with your mates. Make it red themed to really highlight kidney health, get your guests to dress up in red (or even come as a kidney!), and make some delicious red food! Steak and a kidney bean salad, anyone? All funds raised will assist vital research, education and support of kidney health, and to find new ways to prevent kidney disease. For more information, head to the Big Red BBQ website.

Total DNA Services will be slinging snags on the BBQ at every opportunity during January, to raise money for our favourite filtering organs; the kidneys!