Everyone has at least one bad habit they wish they could kick. Whether it’s smoking, junk food or skipping the gym, certain habits put our health at risk and impact our fitness levels.

There’s probably a habit you wish you could break — or even more than one — which could mean you live healthier and improve your overall wellbeing. Rather than just wishing you could say goodbye to these bad habits or promising that you’ll stop them at some time in the future, make a start today.

Here are some of our best tips to help you kick those habits and become your best self:

You need to want to make the change

There’s no point in trying to get rid of a habit if you don’t actually want to stop it. People telling you that you should stop isn’t going to be enough of a drive, so if you secretly want to keep your habit, that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing.

You have to want to make the change or you won’t see any point in it and that’s effectively setting yourself up for failure.

Know why you want to quit

Just thinking that it’s a good idea to break bad habits isn’t going to be enough to actually do it. You need to understand exactly why you need to get rid of that habit, creating a list of reasons that will help to convince you to carry on when things get tough.

If it helps you to, you can try writing them down so you have a physical list to look at on bad days.

Find a way that works for you

It’s well and good deciding to do something, but you need to find the right way to do so. Not having coping mechanisms in place or another way to spend your time will make giving up your bad habit even harder.

Plan what you’re going to do and give each solution a bit of time. If you find that it’s not working for you, give something else a go.

Just remember that not kicking the habit straight out of the gate doesn’t make you a failure. Some people can overcome their habits straight away while it takes others months if not years. So long as you are trying, that’s what matters.

Celebrate every achievement

Have you not had a cigarette in a week or have you managed to make it to the gym every day? Celebrate that.

Breaking habits is difficult and you will struggle, but giving yourself a pat on the back when you get a bit closer to your goal will help you stick with it. Find a healthy way to reward yourself when you’ve done well but don’t beat yourself up too much if you stumble.

Stick with it

If you stick with breaking your bad habit, then before you know it, it won’t be a habit any more. You’ll find one day that you aren’t drawn to that thing you used to need or do a lot as it is no longer a part of your life.

Not only will this mean you’re probably healthier, it shows just how mentally strong you are too.