Do You Have To Be Boring To Be Healthy?

06 Jun Do You Have To Be Boring To Be Healthy?

Posted at 19:05h in Advice by

Does committing to being healthy mean your life must become boring? One of the most common assumptions I see people make about nutritionists is that they’re boring. Often people think that our job means taking all of the fun out of our client’s life and replacing it with kale. 

NUTRITIONISTS: HEALTHY BUT BORING?

In the early days of working as a nutritionist I was very aware of this, and very aware of not conforming to what people expected a nutritionist to be like. I graduated in my mid 20s while most of my fellow students were in their 40s. As they were heading home to make nutritious meals for their families, I was getting ready to go and meet my friends for drinks.

After graduating I was very careful to keep ‘nutritionist Kimmy’ and ‘real Kimmy’ separate. I couldn’t have people finding out that I didn’t spend my spare time sprouting seeds for fun…

15 years has passed since I graduated and at 39, I no longer feel the need to hide who I really am. That being, someone who is sociable and likes to have fun. In fact, I believe it to be one of the reasons I have the relationships that I do with my clients. Rather than having unrealistic expectations of them, it’s my desire to show my clients how they can live their lives to the full, without compromising their health in the process.

DEFINE FUN

When considering health and fun, we must take a look at our definition of fun. Like many people, for a long time I associated going out and drinking with having fun. I remember a journalist once saying to me that they preferred interviewing me (back when we did things in person) to another nutritionist because they were “boring and didn’t drink”. I morphed from feeling I had to hide my fun ways, to realising it’s what made me relatable to many people.

And then I gave up alcohol and had a minor identity crisis. Who was I if I wasn’t the fun nutritionist who liked a glass of wine? I was the proverbial boring nutritionist. But this was a story and it was not one based in truth.

I’ve stopped drinking for extended periods of time on a number of occasions. (If you’ve always drunk alcohol and never had time away from it, I highly recommend it.) That time, I gave up for a year. During that year I was determined to go about my normal activities and not miss out on holidays or social events simply because I wasn’t drinking. What I realised was this: I don’t need alcohol to have fun. I am perfectly capable of having loads of fun with absolutely no booze whatsoever. Now, when I look back on that year, I remember two very fun holidays with friends that involved much socialising that was in no way compromised because I didn’t drink alcohol.

IT’S ABOUT BALANCE

Many a client will speak of being an ‘all or nothing person’ when they first come to us. This can apply to many aspects of diet and lifestyle, not just drinking. It’s an easy trap to be stuck in. I was. But I can speak from experience when I say it’s fully possible to overcome that and create a life of balance.

Last weekend my school friends visited Ibiza where I currently live. I had so much fun with them. We ate good food, we drank good wine, we went out and danced until 5am. There was no lack of fun. Yes, the weekend involved eating and drinking more than I usually would, but it was filled with joy. Of course, I don’t go out and do that every weekend. This weekend has, more typically, involved a sound healing ceremony, long dog walks and a 7am sea swim.

At 39 I am in great health, I live my life to the max and I can truly say that I have found a balanced and fun-filled way of living that I am content with. 

HEALTH FOR FUN

One thing I hear people say is “well if I die a couple of years early and I’ve had a great life, I don’t care”. But it’s rarely that simple. The consequence of not taking take of ourselves is more typically years of managing chronic degenerative disease(s). 

Rather than compromising fun for the sake of health, I believe that prioritising our health enables us to have more fun. Experiencing joint aches or stiffness, gut issues like bloating or abdominal discomfort, or pain from conditions like gout are all common issues – and they are not fun. They really can suck the joy out of life.

One the other hand, living in a way that enables you to stay full of energy, mentally alert, free from pain or discomfort and in good health is what’s going to allow you to keep on living life to the full for as long as possible.

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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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