The best way to BREAK bad habits

This month, our expert Annie Deadman reveals why ditching those unhealthy vices this autumn is much easier than you think

‘The bare facts of alcohol are not pretty’

I’m rolling up my sleeves and standing on my podium (OK, an old Amazon box), and I’m ready to hold forth. It’s October, and we have long, gorgeous months of positive change and self-discovery to look forward to. That, my friends, means out with the old and in with the new. Breaking old habits and – ta-da! – welcoming healthy new ones.

The colder months are a perfect time to work on ourselves. After all, summer bodies are made in winter – not two weeks before we catch the plane. But

I’m not going to talk endlessly about eating more protein, less sugar, more water, fewer lattes (although that is a brilliant start), but more about ruts we can climb out of.

Let’s start with love. Familiarity can eat away at long-term relationships, which can lead to grudges, moodiness and eventually a dark cloud of resentment. I remember when I separated from my husband of 20 years, my friend Alex told me you have to work at a marriage all the time, not just for children, mortgages and choosing paint colours. She’s right. I was at the point of no return but, still, I know for next time (eek!), that everyday kindness, gratitude and unexpected surprises can puncture that cloud.

Next is movement. If that doesn’t feature much in your world then plan three 45-minute walks each week (that’s just for starters), take a friend or plug in your headphones and lose yourself in an audio book. It’s a ‘drug’ for improving your fitness, fatness, blood pressure and sanity. Plus, it will bring you joy, I promise.

Giving up smoking is an obvious one. Far be it from me to wag a finger, but £12? That’s about how much a pack of 20 cigarettes costs – think how much money you’d have if you stopped. You CAN stop. Everyone can. It will take three weeks of pacing up and down, and another three weeks of fag envy, then it’s done. There are lots of apps out there to help, plus plenty of guidance at the website nhs.uk

Can we look at alcohol next? Sometimes I wonder why we actually drink. The bare facts are not pretty.

It’s a toxin, it contributes to all those conditions we don’t like to think about (heart disease, cancers, strokes, high blood pressure), it disrupts our sleep, sex drive and mood, and turns us into people who keep opening the fridge to find something else to eat. The website drinkaware.co.uk has fantastic advice if you want to cut back, and there are brilliant alcoholfree alternatives around.

Another life-enhancing item for our autumn ‘ON IT’ agenda is sleep. Get seven to nine hours each night by a) setting an alarm to get into bed and b) putting your phone down once you’re there (ahem… note to self, Deadman). Increased stress, weight gain and loss of libido all sound a bit dramatic, but regular broken sleep contributes to all.

And, finally, surrounding ourselves with positive people who add value to our lives (rather than suck out our soul) is the cherry on the top of our ‘charter for change’. Let’s give it the attention it deserves.

✢ Annie is a fat-loss and fitness coach, and creator of theblastplan.com, which is an online programme of exercise and nutrition guidance aimed at midlife women. Follow her on Instagram @anniedeadman for health tips and lots of laughs too.