Old habits may die hard, but the good news is that they do die. Don't lose hope or beat yourself up over it if you're having trouble breaking bad habits. It's not that easy to change your ways but you do need to keep chipping away at it.

Start by replacing old habits with new ones. The key is to learn how to take care of yourself and pamper yourself in ways that are life affirming rather than self-destructive. Learn how to deal with sabotaging emotions by establishing some healthy patterns of behaviour and investing in your physical and emotional well-being.

If you judge yourself every time you're in front of a mirror, try focusing on the things you love about yourself and replace the image you see with the image you want to see. When was the last time you looked in the mirror and told yourself how great your features are and how beautiful you look?

If you're constantly looking to the media for stories about celebrity diets and weight loss, try finding more realistic role models — everyday people who've lost weight or achieved other goals similar to yours. They will be the most inspiring. Start paying attention to people you know.

If you tend to blow off your workouts until the ever elusive when I have more time — or there's some other event, like a wedding, this puts the pressure on when the time does come round— ease yourself back into your daily workouts and build steam as you go along.

Without commitment or what I like to call leverage, you won't be able to achieve the goals you truly desire. Put your life in perspective. Everything is a choice — from how you feel when you wake up in the morning to whether or not you floss your teeth at night. To make the right choices, you need to ask the right questions: What is my true goal, and how are the choices I'm making going to help me achieve that goal?

Vanessa Alexander Personal Trainer Surrey
Esteem Fitness Personal training London and the South East UK