Heather McKee is a habit coach and health behaviour change specialist. She supports people to build healthy habits that last, and believes that living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be cruel or punishing. She focuses on showing people how to make the healthy choice the easy choice, and build habits they’ll actually enjoy. In her opinion, these are the habits that will last a lifetime.
Q&A's
What does being healthy mean to you - really?
Being healthy means having a strong sense of self-compassion. Knowing when I need to take a step back or when I need to step up. Ultimately knowing what I need to do to feel nourished – physically, emotionally, psychologically or socially be it a Pilates class or a glass of wine with a friend.
One bit of advice you want to give to all Healthista readers?
The key thing with making healthy lifestyle changes stick is finding the joy in being healthy.
Rather than using your inability to stick to your health goals as another stick to beat yourself with, forcing yourself to follow the latest trend in fitness or nutrition, stop and take a step back and ask yourself what healthy activities actually bring you joy and how can you bring these into your life more and let go of anything that feels punishing or restrictive.
One thing you do daily that you wouldn't be well without?
Exercise, we evolved to move, it’s a basic human need. However, many people believe that it’s not worthwhile unless your killing yourself at the gym.
We can move in many ways it’s about cultivating an intuition about what movement works best for your physical or mental health on any given day, it could be a sweaty dance class with a friend or a walk in the park.
What will you be bringing to the Healthista Collective?
My principals are based on empowerment, empathy and excellence. So I aim to bring an evidence-based yet compassionate approach putting the reader at the core of all that I do. Not only empowering them with advice but with the skills and confidence, they need to make lasting changes to their habits.
Advice to your 20-year-old self?
Be kind to yourself, have the courage to give yourself time and space to grow.
