January 1 of every year is when we all start “over.” We reset our position at the starting line and try to break old habits and make new, healthier ones. I’m no different, but this year it has a different meaning.

Here’s the long story short. I went on a much-anticipated vacation in November only to return to catch a monster cold. And to top it off, my husband caught it, too. Talk about an after-vacation buzz kill. This monster cold necessitated we take a trip to the doctor, where they decided it was a good time to check my husband’s blood for all of those healthy indicators – cholesterol, etc. (He only goes to the doctor when he’s desperately miserable, so kudos to them for catching him on a bad day!) We both got medicine, started feeling better and he gets his test results back: out-of-control high triglycerides. He needed to get on the straight and narrow… and follow it.

Whoa! What happened? We aren’t in our invincible 20’s anymore? Gosh, when did that happen? Oh, yeah, that was a decade ago now. (HA!) And with 2 little kids now, we have to re-frame the way we think about our health. We’ve got to ensure we’re here for each other and our growing family.

While all of this is happening, we (Williams Whittle) were working on a new, exciting project with the American Institute for Cancer Research and their CANcer PREVENTion: Together We Can campaign. They had just put the finishing touches on the new look and feel of the campaign, set to launch in February 2015 (Cancer Prevention month) to help reach new people (like me) that have no idea that nearly 50% of the most common cancers can be prevented. Yes, I said it, 50%. Prevented. All by making small, everyday changes in the way we live. It’s really such an empowering message.

We created a friendly, motion-graphic PSA that communicates the shocking stat (50%!) and what you can do to reduce your risk. This has just been released to the media and we’re hopeful they’ll run it heavily over the next few months. Check it out.

Together, my husband and I are trying to start off 2015 the way we should’ve started every year, with many of AICR’s recommendations in our sights. Overall, they are good for our health AND they can reduce our risk of cancer. It’s a win, win! Go on, take the challenge yourself. You can get your 30-day planner with their top tips at prevent50.org.