Hello again January, it’s been a while since we last met. The start of the year is a time to make a fresh start, look ahead and make some plans. It’s the moment to shake off those bad habits, wave goodbye to your comfort zone and try something new.

If you need inspiration, why not take a gander at our cover story, which asks: when was the last time you did something for the first time? We’ve got 15 suggestions of stuff to do in Dubai that will change your life, from skydiving to volunteering, from wakeboarding to flamenco dancing.

What about planning that trip you’ve always dreamed of but never got around to doing because you were too busy? We have ten fabulous holidays that will heal your body and your soul.

A new year also typically involves an examination of your health. We’ve spoken to Dubai’s best health and detox experts to get their tips and ideas for living a healthier life in 2014. We’ve got a great smoothie recipe, plus a checklist of what foods we should be eating more of this year from the chef at Ultra Brasserie.

Film fans might be interested to know that the multiplex isn’t the only place to watch movies in Dubai. We’ve rounded up some of the quirkier, offbeat cinemas in town. However, if you do like the multiplex experience with buckets of popcorn and gallons of fizzy drinks, then we’ve got movie previews of January’s flicks too.

If ballet is your thing, you’ve got two opportunities to see it this month. The Paris Opera Ballet perform a medley of pieces from classic ballets, while Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker will be performed by the children of Dubai’s Ballet Centre. Elsewhere on the cultural scene, there’s Tom Stoppard’s play within a play, Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, plus the final few weeks of the Emirati Expressions art exhibition.

Turning to restaurants, see our verdict on a new Chinese restaurant, a spicy Cajun hotspot, two new brunches, a New York import and a hot Mexican hangout. We’ve enlisted world class chef Marco Pierre White to write a column for What’s On every month, the first of which can be seen in our January issue. We can’t wait to grill him on foodie matters in 2014.