How To Break Bad Habits

breaking bad habits

How To Break Bad Habits

With lockdown measures easing, there’s no better time than now to review which of your habits are serving you well, and which aren’t. I recently wrote an article for the Evening Standard on the habits we, as a nation, have been developing during lockdown. On the whole we have been eating more veg and cooking from scratch more, but we have also been drinking more alcohol and baking more cakes.

I spend a lot of time with my clients working on cultivating healthy habits. Getting to the point at which you naturally make healthier choices is a big step towards maintaining a weight you’re happy at long term. But breaking bad habits is not always easy, so what can you do to stack the odds of success in your favour?

BREAKING BAD HABITS: STRATEGIES

One strategy I have found to be particularly effective is to simply replace an unhealthy habit with a healthier one.

For example, I have to confess that during lockdown my occasional Diet Coke gradually increased to a daily habit and it’s something I recognised I wanted to nip in the bud. Coincidentally, a couple of days later a healthy drinks brand send me a box of their sparkling kefir water which made for a perfect swap.

I have a number of clients who feel like they want to end their dinner with something sweet. While in the past they might have eaten chocolate or ice cream, we have worked on finding healthier alternatives. Fresh berries with coconut yoghurt or a Pukka Cacao Maca Latte are two popular swaps.

So what habit are you aware of that you’d like to break? And what could you swap it with?

The first step in addressing anything is being aware of the issue, so take a little time to ensure you’re really clear on the habit you wish to break and why breaking it is important to you.

FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE

Once you have identified it, you can then find an alternative. Sometimes a like for like swap can work well. For example, swapping an alcoholic drink with an alcohol free alternative. With other habits, it can be more helpful to replace it with something completely different. If you’re in the habit of snacking out of boredom rather than hunger, instead of simply finding a healthier snack, find another activity to occupy your mind when bored. I have clients who will go for a short walk or do a 10-minute deep breathing exercise or meditation when they feel the desire to eat through boredom or stress.

Breaking habits and forming new ones can take time and commitment, there’re no denying that. But in my experience, shifting from “I won’t do this anymore” to “Instead of doing X, I’ll do Y instead” can make breaking habits a lot less painful!



LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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