One of my good friends who is a smoker, recently came to me expressing a desire to quit smoking.
Usually, the only reaction I get from her is that she doesn't want to gain weight and therefore, won't quit smoking.
Since I've always been the one to broach this subject with her, not the other way around, my curiosity was sparked.
She had seen a commercial recently which had beautiful women wearing tight, provocative clothing but written on the clothing was a different smoking related disease - "Heart Disease," for example.
My friend admitted that this was one of the first commercials she'd seen that truly spoke to her - she might be thin but smoking was still killing her.
We both learned a lot from the conversation that ensued.
My friend explained that she had tried once before to quit smoking and had even made a plan beforehand. Still, she gained weight and eventually started smoking again.
While my friend had a plan, she had no contingency if anything deviated from this plan.
My friend also hadn't realized just how much she smoking was tied into her daily activities and how it wasn't just giving up nicotine.
We decided to look at the flaws with her first plan to quit and from that, create a new plan for her.
My friend first attempted to give up cigarettes completely.
What she didn't count on was that smoking was so much of a habit that she felt something was missing when she'd drive to work, take a coffee break, take a lunch break, etc.
Her solution was to replace the cigarette with food. Guess what? It worked! She wasn't smoking. Of course, she was overeating and gaining weight. The second part of my friend's plan was to go on a diet and lose weight. This is a fine idea and my friend even did research to find out the the "best" diet but that diet was for quick weightloss and she didn't take into account that she wouldn't like most of the foods on this diet plan.
As predicted, the diet quickly disolved and she gained even more weight.
The third part of my friend's plan was to exercise. Great idea right? It could have been, however, my friend didn't want to start by walking - she wanted to run. She chose unrealistic workout routines and naturally, she found them too difficult and quit right away. In fact, she also injured herself by chosing such a difficult routine and was even less mobile than before.
"Moderation in all things." I asked my friend to keep that as a daily mantra and to use that as the basis of her next plan to get healthy.
I then helped her to see why her plan although well-meant, was too rigid and moderation was not addressed at all.
First, stopping smoking was good but she could have looked at some other options to going "cold turkey" if she found this difficult.
For my friend, she needed to gradually reduce the amount she smoked each day until she could eventually give them up altogether.
My friend also needed the support of other resources along the way. She needed a place to go if she found she was getting off the path to smoking cesation.
Diet - this approach also needed to change. I suggested that she first see her doctor to discuss all three things she wanted to accomplish - stop smoking, diet, exercise. Her doctor could recommend a diet plan she could stick with as well as ascertain her current fitness level.
Once my friend had a physical, she could design an exercise program that worked for her - not a marathon runner.
She could also join a gym and let the professionals there, who already have the expertise, design a program for her.
When you start out slowly have have a lot of short term goals that are acheivable, you will have more interest in a diet and exercise plan that is difficult or even impossible to achieve.
While we all want instant results, that simply isn't realistic. Take the time to notice the gradual changes happening to your body. How are your clothes fitting this week compared to two weeks ago? How much longer were you able to go on the treadmill this week compared to last? How are all of the small steps you are taking to gain better health coming together?
I also suggested my Weight Loss Breeze Program. The exercises are easy to start with and accomodate almost every fitness level. She has seen amazing results. She also liked the special breathing exercises that benefit smokers or those who've just quit.
EL331001 - 17944
Usually, the only reaction I get from her is that she doesn't want to gain weight and therefore, won't quit smoking.
Since I've always been the one to broach this subject with her, not the other way around, my curiosity was sparked.
She had seen a commercial recently which had beautiful women wearing tight, provocative clothing but written on the clothing was a different smoking related disease - "Heart Disease," for example.
My friend admitted that this was one of the first commercials she'd seen that truly spoke to her - she might be thin but smoking was still killing her.
We both learned a lot from the conversation that ensued.
My friend explained that she had tried once before to quit smoking and had even made a plan beforehand. Still, she gained weight and eventually started smoking again.
While my friend had a plan, she had no contingency if anything deviated from this plan.
My friend also hadn't realized just how much she smoking was tied into her daily activities and how it wasn't just giving up nicotine.
We decided to look at the flaws with her first plan to quit and from that, create a new plan for her.
My friend first attempted to give up cigarettes completely.
What she didn't count on was that smoking was so much of a habit that she felt something was missing when she'd drive to work, take a coffee break, take a lunch break, etc.
Her solution was to replace the cigarette with food. Guess what? It worked! She wasn't smoking. Of course, she was overeating and gaining weight. The second part of my friend's plan was to go on a diet and lose weight. This is a fine idea and my friend even did research to find out the the "best" diet but that diet was for quick weightloss and she didn't take into account that she wouldn't like most of the foods on this diet plan.
As predicted, the diet quickly disolved and she gained even more weight.
The third part of my friend's plan was to exercise. Great idea right? It could have been, however, my friend didn't want to start by walking - she wanted to run. She chose unrealistic workout routines and naturally, she found them too difficult and quit right away. In fact, she also injured herself by chosing such a difficult routine and was even less mobile than before.
"Moderation in all things." I asked my friend to keep that as a daily mantra and to use that as the basis of her next plan to get healthy.
I then helped her to see why her plan although well-meant, was too rigid and moderation was not addressed at all.
First, stopping smoking was good but she could have looked at some other options to going "cold turkey" if she found this difficult.
For my friend, she needed to gradually reduce the amount she smoked each day until she could eventually give them up altogether.
My friend also needed the support of other resources along the way. She needed a place to go if she found she was getting off the path to smoking cesation.
Diet - this approach also needed to change. I suggested that she first see her doctor to discuss all three things she wanted to accomplish - stop smoking, diet, exercise. Her doctor could recommend a diet plan she could stick with as well as ascertain her current fitness level.
Once my friend had a physical, she could design an exercise program that worked for her - not a marathon runner.
She could also join a gym and let the professionals there, who already have the expertise, design a program for her.
When you start out slowly have have a lot of short term goals that are acheivable, you will have more interest in a diet and exercise plan that is difficult or even impossible to achieve.
While we all want instant results, that simply isn't realistic. Take the time to notice the gradual changes happening to your body. How are your clothes fitting this week compared to two weeks ago? How much longer were you able to go on the treadmill this week compared to last? How are all of the small steps you are taking to gain better health coming together?
I also suggested my Weight Loss Breeze Program. The exercises are easy to start with and accomodate almost every fitness level. She has seen amazing results. She also liked the special breathing exercises that benefit smokers or those who've just quit.
EL331001 - 17944
About the Author:
Christian Goodman is a well known health researcher and author of several revolutionary natural health alternative methods. One of his recent breakthroughs is his natural Weight Loss Breeze Program. You can learn more about Christian on his Natural Health Alternative Blog.
