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 she came to me this time, I was greatly intrigued.
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.
The conversation we both then had was enlightening to both of us.
My friend admitted that she had tried to quit smoking a couple of years before but it was difficult, she gained weight and she 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.
This worked for her until she realized that she needed a substitue for the cigarette on her drive to work, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, after dinner and the like.
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.
My friend found herself bored with her available food choices and the diet soon became a thing of the past.
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, moderation, moderation." This is what my friend was lacking in her first plan. Her plan simply wasn't realistic based on her current level of fitness and smoking habits.
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 example, She could have chosen a stop smoking date and reduced the amount of cigarettes she smoked each day by one until she reached her goal of zero cigarettes.
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.
My friend's plan of dieting was also changed. What my friend needed was not another fad diet but something she could live with. Otherwise, she would simply go back to the same bad habits.
Her doctor would have also been able to perform a physical to see if she was prepared for an exercise program and if so, at what level?
From there, she could have found a gym and a personal trainer to develop a moderate plan for exercise that increased gradually.
Starting out with several smaller weightloss, and exercise goals is much more gratifying than one big, rigid plan that makes one feel like a failure if results aren't seen immediately.
My friend was able to see that she would be able to tie her smaller goals together and I assured her that if she worked hard but in moderation, she would see results.
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 - 15343
Usually, the only reaction I get from her is that she doesn't want to gain weight and therefore, won't quit smoking.
Since she came to me this time, I was greatly intrigued.
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.
The conversation we both then had was enlightening to both of us.
My friend admitted that she had tried to quit smoking a couple of years before but it was difficult, she gained weight and she 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.
This worked for her until she realized that she needed a substitue for the cigarette on her drive to work, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, after dinner and the like.
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.
My friend found herself bored with her available food choices and the diet soon became a thing of the past.
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, moderation, moderation." This is what my friend was lacking in her first plan. Her plan simply wasn't realistic based on her current level of fitness and smoking habits.
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 example, She could have chosen a stop smoking date and reduced the amount of cigarettes she smoked each day by one until she reached her goal of zero cigarettes.
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.
My friend's plan of dieting was also changed. What my friend needed was not another fad diet but something she could live with. Otherwise, she would simply go back to the same bad habits.
Her doctor would have also been able to perform a physical to see if she was prepared for an exercise program and if so, at what level?
From there, she could have found a gym and a personal trainer to develop a moderate plan for exercise that increased gradually.
Starting out with several smaller weightloss, and exercise goals is much more gratifying than one big, rigid plan that makes one feel like a failure if results aren't seen immediately.
My friend was able to see that she would be able to tie her smaller goals together and I assured her that if she worked hard but in moderation, she would see results.
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 - 15343
About the Author:
Christian Goodman is a popular 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.
