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It’s Wellness Wednesdays! We’ll talk about quitting smoking in 30 days or less. Cigarette smoking is an unhealthy and costly habit that can lead to lung cancer, heart disease, and death. Nearly one in five deaths in America is the result of smoking. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, this unhealthy habit causes more deaths yearly than HIV, car accidents, murders, suicides, and illegal drug or alcohol use combined.
Smoking is a habit that is very hard to kick. For many, the thought of living without a cigarette for good is unbearable. But, with the right information, you can quit smoking for good.
Has anyone ever told you that you need to find your why? You know, the reason you smoke. Your why is the reason you keep doing something after you know better. It’s the reason you’re willing to go out and buy a pack of cigarettes. It’s the reason you choose to walk down the street, puffing away. It’s the reason you tell yourself “I can quit tomorrow.” It’s the reason you don’t want to hear that you’re a smoker.
The only way to assure that you don’t suffer smoking related diseases is to quit smoking now. Long-term smokers have equated nicotine addiction to that of heroin. Therefore, if you want to quit smoking, it’s important to give your 100% effort.
In a few weeks you will be able to breathe a little easier. But you must make the decision now to quit smoking now. The decision to stop smoking is often made when one is in a moment of crisis. If you know that a cigarette is going to ruin your health, one that the doctor has told you that you will need to quit, you will do it. If you have a long time to go before you need to quit, you will continue to smoke.
Try these tips to help you quit smoking in less than 30 days:
1. Weigh the pros and cons.
Life is harder for smokers. Not only are the health risks major cons, but smokers are also forced into exile from restaurants, bars, and friends’ homes when they want to light a cigarette.
- Once you begin compiling your list, you’ll find that there isn’t one benefit to list under the pros section, but you’ll likely need a second sheet of paper to keep writing negatives in your cons section.
- Smoking is expensive! In some states, cigarettes can cost as much as $10 per pack. If you’re a pack-per-day smoker, you’re shelling out $300 per month in order to nurture a habit that is decreasing your quality of life. If you quit smoking, you’ll have an extra $3,600 per year in expendable income.
2. Slowly, but surely.
Quitting cold turkey is rarely an effective method to quit smoking. Rather than quitting altogether immediately, choose to minimize your cigarette intake until you’ve reached 0 cigarettes per day.
- In 20 days, you can quit smoking! Simply decrease the number of cigarettes you smoke each day by one. So, the first day you’d smoke 20 cigarettes, the second 19, the third 18, the fourth 17, the fifth 16 and so on. You’ll hardly miss the extra cigarette. By your 21st day on this plan, you’ll be smoke free!
- To sweeten the deal, set the money aside that you’d spend on cigarettes for a fun purchase. By day 20, you can have up to $200 saved up. $200 can buy quite a lot at an outlet mall or a deal savvy website.
3. Immerse yourself into new hobbies.
Reward yourself for your efforts to quit by immersing yourself into new hobbies. Join a lavish gym, bowling league, or cake decorating club, or simply vow to cross off those ever expanding home improvement projects off of your list.
- When you’re joyfully occupied, you’re less likely to give into your craving for a cigarette. Sure, you may catch a craving every now and then, but if you’re able to postpone the craving a few hours, chances are good that you don’t want the cigarette too badly after all.
- Use your time to volunteer. Rather than devoting your free time to personal activities, consider volunteering your time to the needy. If it weren’t for your effort to quit smoking, you may never have acted on this wonderful opportunity. Therefore, use this as ammunition to continue both your quitting and community service efforts.
Quitting smoking certainly isn’t an easy task. If you’re realistic in your abilities to quit smoking, you’ll increase your chances of success. It’s very unlikely that you smoked a pack per day from the very inception of your smoking habit. Therefore, taking it slowly rather than quitting cold turkey may provide you with the best chance of success.
If you’re ready to quit smoking or know someone who is, start by keeping a diary of your smoking habits. Take note of when you smoke, what you’re doing when you’re smoking, and what you’re feeling when you’re smoking. Also remember to note if you’re experiencing any cravings, irritability, or other symptoms. This will help you better understand your triggers and cravings. You can then eliminate these triggers and cravings from your life.
Strategies for quitting smoking are many. In the next 30 days, try one or more of these methods to give yourself a fighting chance to quit for good. If you have any questions, please visit the Comments section below. We want everyone to have a healthy, happy, and productive life with a loving family.
Whichever path you take, you must be committed to becoming smoke free. But once you’ve beat the smoking habit, you can breathe a fresh sigh of relief because you’re not only saving money, but your life.
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I really wanted to talk about this topic today because your natural health and wellness is important. You can adopt healthy lifestyle practices that improve your health, your environment, and enrich your life, which can in turn improve the lives of those close to you. You have the power to break the cycle of poor health, including chronic disease, so that you can leave a legacy of health to your loved ones.
I use functional medicine and lifestyle medicine as the first line of treatment, before medications, to treat lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Lifestyle-related chronic diseases include diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and some cancers, just to name a few. Lifestyle practices, such as eating a whole-food plant-based diet and regular physical activity, can help you lose weight, reverse some chronic diseases (if you suffer from them), and can even help you with detoxification. In certain cases, these approaches may even outperform pharmaceutical therapy.
But I always tell my patients that conventional medications may be appropriate at this time to prevent catastrophic illness, but over time, you can work to make the necessary lifestyle changes to possibly reduce and/or eliminate medications. Please remember to always consult your physician for your particular needs and circumstances prior to making any decisions whatsoever.
Is Dietary Supplementation Right For You?
For some people, vitamin and mineral supplements offer important health benefits. Supplements are designed to fight deficiencies found in our diet and complement the food we eat regularly. Supplements are basically “helping hands” to our daily food.
If you suspect that you aren’t getting the nutrients you need, consider shifting your focus from supplements to eating better.
But it is very important to note that we are not eating the same foods we ate years ago because the soils have been depleted of critical nutrients through current industrial farming practices. And because the soil is not as good as it used to be, the food supply (grown from the depleted soil) is not as good as it used to be. For example, you are not getting the same levels of magnesium as you would have gotten 30 or even 50 years ago.
Second, much of the food has been genetically altered, which can impact the inherent and unique nutritional composition that each food possess. For example, ancient einkorn wheat has less gluten, more protein, more Vitamin A, and more beta carotene, than modern genetically modified wheat.
Third, the toxic load in the environment today is much higher than 100 years ago. We can see this with global warming, toxic landfills, polluted oceans and waterways, etc. Toxicity levels interfere with nutrient assimilation and absorption not just into the foods, but into our bodies as well.
So… if you are unable to eat better, the supplements in my MaxHealth Essentials Bundle may provide the extra boost you need.
These are my favorite Wellness and Immune-Boosting Supplements to use! This MaxHealth Essentials Bundle will ensure you have the intake of the important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to decrease inflammation and boost your innate wellness day and night. Taken together, it’s a solid plan for increasing your body’s natural resiliency.
For best results make sure you use the supplements with dietary changes including a whole food plant-based diet, regular exercise (at least 2-3x per week), regular sleep (8 hours per night), and intermittent fasting (at least 1-3x per week).
Weight Monitoring
Since weight management is very important in combatting chronic diseases, I recommend that you be mindful of your weight and its fluctuations, and that you monitor your weight AT LEAST on a weekly basis. I recommend a scale that includes a body composition monitor (*this scale cannot be used with a pacemaker or other implanted devices).
Physical Activity
Physical activity (or exercise) can improve your health and reduce the risk of developing several chronic diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, just to name a few. Physical activity can improve your mood, boost your immune system, help you maintain a healthy weight, and is a great way to detox your body!
I often recommend yoga and resistance training for physical activity, but as you are aware, there are plenty of forms of “movement” that you can do! But for the basics, especially if you’re just getting started, yoga and resistance training are where I would start.
Yoga
Yoga can be a great way to improve your strength and flexibility, manage your stress, improve your heart health, and lose weight! I recommend using a grounded yoga mat to connect yourself with the earth and reduce inflammation.
Resistance Training
Resistance training is the mainstay for overall health. It not only has beneficial effects on reducing body fat, it also increases muscle size and strength. Check out some basic dumbbells/free weights that I recommend to everyone.
Another alternative for dumbbells/free weights are resistance bands. They are great for physical therapy, yoga, strength training, and excellent for traveling.
Remember, living a healthy lifestyle including eating a whole foods plant-based diet, regular physical activity, and reducing stress are the best ways to maintain a healthy weight. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
Dr. Nicolle Martin
Dr. Nicolle is double board-certified in Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine. As one of the nation’s most acclaimed primary care and public health physicians, she is a nationally recognized author, speaker, researcher, consultant and media personality. She is the Founder and Chief Medical Advisor of DrNicolleMD.com, where she discusses actionable ideas and real-world strategies to help people take control of their health using integrative therapies and lifestyle change.
Dr. Nicolle also shares her knowledge via her popular social media accounts “Maximize Health” to help people pursue a healthier life. Her motto is simple: Minimize Medications, Maximize Health. With her credentials and warm “bedside manner,” it’s no wonder that the doctor is renowned as “America’s Favorite Family Physician.”
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Last updated on July 12th, 2022 at 10:22 am
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