Healthy Habits That Aren’t Actually Helping You
Healthy habits are supposed to help you feel stronger, calmer and more energised. Yet sometimes the routines praised online leave you hungry, exhausted or anxious about doing everything “right”. If that sounds familiar, it may be time to question whether your healthy habits are actually supporting you.
At The Heart of the Matter Nutrition, I encourage women across the United Kingdom to look beyond wellness rules and consider what their bodies genuinely need. The BANT Wellbeing Guidelines emphasise individual differences and offer a foundation for personalised nutrition, rather than a one-size-fits-all prescription.
1. Skipping Breakfast When You Are Hungry
Some people feel comfortable eating later in the morning. Others wake up hungry and find that coffee alone leaves them irritable, distracted or ravenous by lunchtime. Skipping breakfast is not automatically unhealthy, but ignoring hunger simply to follow an online fasting rule may not be helpful.
The NHS notes that a nutritious breakfast can contribute valuable nutrients to the day. Rather than forcing a strict mealtime, notice your appetite, energy and concentration.
What to try instead: If you are hungry, enjoy breakfast. Eggs with wholegrain toast, or yoghurt with berries, oats and seeds, provide a practical combination of protein, fibre and satisfying energy. Healthy habits should respond to your needs, not override them.
2. Exercising Through Exhaustion
Movement can improve physical and emotional wellbeing, but pushing through persistent exhaustion is not a badge of honour. Rest and adequate food are part of training, not signs of weakness.
The International Olympic Committee's 2023 consensus on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport explains that sustained inadequate energy intake relative to exercise can affect hormonal function, bone health and performance. This research concerns exercising populations and does not mean every tired person has this condition.
What to try instead: Adjust intensity to how you feel, allow recovery days and ensure you are fuelling activity. If exercise repeatedly leaves you depleted, review sleep, nutrition and your training load with a qualified professional. Supportive healthy habits include recovery.
3. Fasting Even When It Does Not Suit You
Intermittent fasting may suit some adults and has been studied for weight and metabolic outcomes. However, it is not a universal requirement for good health.
A 2025 BMJ review of randomised trials found that intermittent fasting strategies generally produced similar weight and cardiometabolic outcomes to continuous energy restriction, with some differences between approaches.
Benefits depend on context, and fasting can be unsuitable if you are pregnant, have a history of disordered eating or use medication that can lower blood glucose without medical guidance.
What to try instead: Start with adequate, regular nourishment. If fasting makes you dizzy, preoccupied with food or unusually hungry, it may not be one of the healthy habits worth keeping.
4. Cutting Out Food Groups Without a Clear Reason
Removing gluten, dairy, carbohydrates or entire food groups can look disciplined, but it may leave gaps in fibre, protein, calcium or other nutrients.
BANT's Wellbeing Guidelines encourage varied food choices, including colourful plants, appropriate protein, healthy fats and thoughtfully chosen carbohydrates, while recognising that recommendations should be individualised.
Medical conditions such as coeliac disease or food allergy are different and may require specific exclusions.
What to try instead: Ask what you can add before deciding what to remove. Build satisfying meals with a variety of foods you tolerate. These healthy habits are easier to sustain when eating still feels enjoyable.
Related reading: Why Your 'Healthy' Diet Isn't Working for You
5. Taking Supplements Without Understanding Why
A cupboard full of powders and capsules can feel reassuring, particularly when social media promises quick improvements in gut health, hormones or energy. But supplements are not automatically effective or harmless.
The British Dietetic Association advises that supplements cannot reproduce all the benefits of a nourishing diet and warns about excess doses and interactions with medicines. Some are important in specific circumstances, including vitamin D in UK autumn and winter.
What to try instead: Review your diet, symptoms, medicines and any appropriate tests before adding products. Healthy habits are built on evidence and a clear purpose, not the number of bottles on your shelf.
6. Treating Rest as Something You Must Earn
If every spare moment is filled with exercise, meal preparation or another wellness task, even positive routines can become stressful. Sleep, enjoyable movement, connection and flexibility deserve space alongside nutrition.
What to try instead: Protect breaks, eat without multitasking when possible and choose movement that helps you feel better. Healthy habits should fit into life, rather than take it over.
A Kinder Way to Build Healthy Habits
Before adopting another routine, ask yourself: Does this support my energy? Am I eating enough? Do I have room for rest and enjoyment? Could a medical issue explain how I am feeling?
Persistent or worsening fatigue, dizziness, missed periods or other concerning symptoms deserve assessment by your GP, not just another wellness plan.
At The Heart of the Matter Nutrition, we explore food, digestion, energy, stress and lifestyle together to build healthy habits that are personal, flexible and sustainable.
You deserve support that works with your body, not against it.
Comments