How Can I Quit Smoking?

Exercise and Foods to Help You Quit Smoking Today

You have made the decision to quit smoking, now here are some tips for exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.

Regular exercise is important to help you quit smoking, but doesn't have to be too strenuous. Take into account your personal fitness and the amount of exercise you normally do.

Just five minutes of walking or muscle flexing can be as effective in decreasing cravings as a nicotine patch. A light session of exercise will decrease cravings for about 15 minutes, and high levels of exercise will more than double this time. The really intense cravings don't normally last for more than a few minutes at a time, so a brisk walk is usually enough to keep these under control.

Many of the symptoms associated with withdrawal can be decreased by exercise, including anxiety, stress, irritability, tension, restlessness and low concentration levels.

Joining a fitness program or exercise group will not only help you with regular exercise, but will help you keep occupied in your leisure hours and keep your mind off those cigarettes. The styles and levels of exercise should be decided by your normal daily routine; just make sure that you do more than usual when trying to quit smoking.

Not only exercise but a healthy diet will help you through the difficult times of kicking your habit. Foods to help you quit smoking are fresh fruit and vegetables, and particularly alkaline-producing foods like spinach, figs, raisins and almonds. Avoid acid-forming foods like meat and fatty snacks, or soft drinks.

The alkaline diet is mostly necessary during the first stages of withdrawal when cravings are strongest. Vegetarian and raw foods help most in calming cravings. Beyond the first two or three weeks, once the craving starts to lessen, you can vary the diet some more, but still continue with a daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetable.

Oatmeal is one of the best foods to help you quit smoking, as it has very calming properties to soothe nerves and help you relax: This is especially helpful at bedtime.

A diet rich in antioxidants is especially helpful, coming from the nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamins A and C and the mineral selenium. Make sure to consume plenty of raw seeds and nuts, legumes and sprouts, and above all fresh fruit. Vitamin C is particularly necessary, as it neutralizes the toxins in cigarette smoke.

Drink plenty of water; keep a glass at hand at all times, which will keep your hands busy while at the same time keeping you hydrated. Water will also help to keep you feeling full, and less likely to feel the need to eat.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible, not only because of the effects to your health, but also most smokers agree that an alcoholic drink or a cup of coffee will make them immediately want a cigarette.

Work out for yourself an exercise regime and healthy diet list and follow them carefully; you will soon notice the importance of exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.

Health Risks in Smoking

Most people are fully aware that smoking can lead to lung cancer, but in fact the health risks in smoking are much further reaching.

Cancer of the lungs is only one of the risks run by smokers. Smoking is a high risk factor for several kinds of cancer including mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, bladder, cervix and stomach as well as some types of leukemia.

As well as cancer, smoking can cause other lung diseases as in pneumonia, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These diseases which come under the term of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD can cause chronic illness and disabilities and can also be fatal. Long-term smokers carry the highest risk of COPDs

Vascular disease: narrowing or clogging of blood vessels can lead to all kinds of problems. Peripheral vascular disease affects blood vessels feeding the leg and arm muscles.

Problems in the blood vessels feeding the heart can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, and blocked vessels to the brain can cause a stroke. Men who smoke can find blood vessel disease will cause erectile dysfunction.

Eyesight can be affected by smoking: health risks in smoking include increased risk of macular degeneration, sometimes leading to blindness. Also premature ageing and wrinkling of the skin, halitosis or bad breath, tooth and gum disease, yellowing and brittle fingernails, not to mention revolting smelling hair and clothes.

Expectant or nursing mothers have some unique health risks in smoking, to themselves as well as the new life they are carrying. Women (particularly over 35) who smoke and also take oral contraceptives have a very high risk of heart attack, stroke and thrombosis. Smoking carries a high risk of miscarriage or babies born underweight; which are more likely to have physical problems, learning difficulties or even risk of death. Nicotine can be passed into breast milk as well as cervical fluids, amniotic fluids and umbilical cord.

One of the main health risks in smoking is a shortening of life expectancy: the CDC estimates an adult male will lose an average of 13.2 years of life and females 14.5 years, due to smoking. Add to that the risk of diseases during their lifetime which can impair the quality of life long before that. Even without contracting a disease, smoker’s activities are limited by difficulties in breathing and moving around, both at work and play.

The health benefits in quitting are more than just decreasing the health risks in smoking:

Just 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure will drop and your heart rate decrease

2 hours afterwards the carbon monoxide level in the blood returns to normal

Between two weeks and three months after quitting, blood circulation will improve and lung function increase.

Anywhere between one and nine months after quitting you will notice a marked decrease in coughing and shortness of breath. Lungs will start to regain their normal cilia function (these are hair-fine elements in the lungs that dispel mucus) and increase their ability to handle mucus and reduce risk of infection. The lungs will begin to be cleansed from the inside.

After the first year of not smoking, you have reduced the risk of ordinary heart disease by half, compared to a smoker.

Five years on, your risk of stroke is reduced dramatically, and between 5-15 years the risk will be the same as that of a non-smoker.

After 10 years the death rate from lung cancer is reduced by half, compared to a continuing smoker.

Apart from the health risks in smoking, what about the money you spend? Look at the price you spend a day on cigarettes and multiply that by 365. Wow! How much do you spend in a year! Multiply it by 10, and think what you could have done with all that money instead of burning it over 10 years!

All this cost, along with the health risks in smoking must surely give you reason to quit. Find yourself a quit smoking plan and start it right away!

Quit Smoking Today

Once you have decided to quit smoking today, you have over come the biggest hurdle, as trying to quit without really wanting to, is not going to be easy. The decision to quit gives way to new questions: How to start, what can you eat/drink to help, how to lessen cravings... it's not really as difficult as you think; once you've made your mind up to quit smoking today, it's just like going on a diet. A little more difficult of course, as smoking is an addiction and like any other addiction, is very tough to break.

Try to set yourself a routine of diet and exercise and other aids, and stick to it. During the first 72 hours or so you will need to drink plenty of acidic fruit juice to help remove the alkaloid nicotine buildup in your body and to help stabilize blood sugar levels.

The best of these is cranberry juice, which will do the job whilst supplying your body with an abundance of vitamins and nutrients.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a must, along with whole grains, seeds and nuts. You should be able to avoid gaining too much weight if you eat sensibly; weight gain is often associated with quitting smoking, this is because not only are you inclined to eat more to help stave off cravings, but smoking increases the metabolic rate and you will burn calories quicker, so obviously when you first quit you should try to adjust your calorie intake, at least until the metabolism returns to normal.

The best way to quit smoking is to take it one day at a time; follow an exercise routine, even if it's only walking, and find something to keep you occupied in idle moments. Many smokers agree that it's not only the craving for nicotine, but what to do with their hands when not working or otherwise occupied. Depending on your skills, try sketching (or just doodle drawing) knitting, writing; anything which keeps hands busy. Keeping a diary or journal is a good idea, as not only does it give your hands something to do, but you can keep an account of your progress; how you felt, how difficult/easy the day had been, things you had to eat or drink and how they helped, and so on. Open with "I decided to quit smoking today" and on each day re-affirm your commitment to quit.

You will definitely need something to snack or nibble on throughout the day, so arm yourself with plenty of healthy low-cal snacks: grapes and cherries are good, or cherry tomatoes (anything small which you can pick at individually) or sticks of celery are ideal, as not only will celery help calm cravings, but the body actually burns calories while digesting it! So there's a double bonus in eating celery.

The decision to quit smoking today was a difficult one to take, but having done so proves that you have strength of character and willpower, so you should be able to stick to your plan without too much difficulty. Trial and error will find the best way to quit smoking for you, but if you decide you need help, then that's okay too. There is always a solution, an easy way to quit smoking today.

Quit Smoking with Herbs and Natural Aids

It is much better to help yourself quit smoking with herbs and natural aids than with pills and patches; a lot healthier for your body.

There are several herbs and natural aids which you probably keep in your cupboards already. First and foremost is water; drink at least eight glasses per day, more if possible; water will help keep you hydrated and also help you feel full, so less likely to want to eat. Keep a glass of water at hand constantly, so that when you would normally reach for a cigarette you can reach for the glass instead. This will keep your hands busy and hopefully start another habit, this time a healthy one.

Herbal infusions are a great help, especially the calming ones like chamomile, lavender, St Johns wort and lemon balm.

Baking soda increases the pH in urine, which will slow the elimination of the nicotine already existent in the body. This may sound strange, but slowing the elimination of nicotine results in less craving.

Smoking causes an excess of free radicals in your body, which will need antioxidants to counteract. Vitamin C is a great source, so make sure you consume plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Among the best herbs and natural aids to quit smoking is licorice root, which is very useful to calm cravings. It has stress relieving properties which will calm your nerves and lessen irritability, as well as helping to break down body fat, so proving helpful in the case of compensating with food. Licorice is also a natural expectorant, helping greatly when the body needs to expel catarrh and phlegm.

Herbal oats are a remedy used by healers in India, traditionally to help opium addicts to quit. This herbal remedy is believed to work by affecting the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain, and suppressing the centre of addiction. It will calm the anxiety and 'jitters' associated with withdrawal symptoms, and its effects are known to be very long-lasting.

Oatmeal or porridge would be a good breakfast, and also in place of another meal during the day. It is a fact that oatmeal can help you relax, and aids sleep; a bowl of oatmeal before bed will help with a good night's sleep. Oatcakes and oat cereal bars are good snacks for 'picking' at during the day, as are other cereal bars and all types of seeds, whole grains and nuts.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are extremely necessary when trying to quit smoking, as along with herbs and natural aids they can replace cravings and give your body the supplements it needs.

Sugarfree gum and candy may be necessary for the 'sweet tooth' while trying to quit smoking, but grapes and cherries and other 'candy' sized fruits are even better.

Nowadays most public places are smoke-free zones, so you really have no choice but to go several hours at a time without smoking, in which case you should be able to totally quit smoking with herbs and natural aids to support you.

There is no doubt you will feel a lot healthier if you avoid nicotine patches and other chemical aids. Nature’s pharmacy is best!

Quitting Smoking and Addiction to Nicotine

"Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times" this famous quote of Mark Twain sums up the problems a lot of people have when trying to quit...they just can't stick to it.

The problem is that smoking is an addiction like any other, as nicotine is in fact a drug. The addiction to nicotine is not the only danger, as it is in fact a poison.

Nicotine is the natural drug found in tobacco and is as addictive as cocaine or heroin. The dependency will be both physical and emotional; both needing to be dealt with when quitting smoking.

As smoke is inhaled, nicotine enters deep into the lungs, from where it is carried throughout the body via the bloodstream. Nicotine will affect many parts of the body; blood vessels, heart, brain, metabolism and hormones. It is particularly harmful during pregnancy, as it can be present in breast milk and in cervical fluids as well as placenta, amniotic fluids and the blood in the umbilical cord which in turn feeds into the newborn child.

Inhaling cigarette smoke will send nicotine to the brain quicker than any drugs taken intravenously. Like any other drug, the body eventually develops tolerance, thereby needing larger doses to calm the craving.

Quitting smoking will cause the same kind of withdrawal symptoms from the addiction to nicotine that drug addicts experience when quitting their chosen poison.

Whatever your age or the length of time you've been smoking, don't think it's too late in life for you to quit: smokers who quit around age 50 can still cut the risk of dying in the following 15 years by 50%, compared with those who continue to smoke.

Addiction to nicotine should be treated like any other drug addiction, so when quitting smoking be prepared for similar problems. Nicotine patches or chewing gum will only really delay the inevitable; you'll be avoiding many of the other chemicals found in cigarette smoke, but you are still feeding your body nicotine, so are not really making any inroads into your addiction to nicotine. Quitting smoking cold turkey is the only sure answer and will bring with it some problems, particularly in those long-term smokers.

The body will take its time to eject nicotine and other chemicals; sometimes only a couple of days but at other times several weeks.

Addiction to nicotine is caused by the pleasant feelings (known as dopamine high) experienced by the smoker, which then lead to them wanting to smoke more. The nervous system begins to adapt to the nicotine intake and increases the amount of nicotine in the blood. As the body begins to get used to the amount of nicotine, it will start to demand more, hence we get into the cycle of addiction.

The poison in nicotine is enough to kill a human with just a few drops in its purest form, although to take in that much in one go by smoking you would have to smoke about 100 cigarettes all at once (together, not one after the other) Even so, that is some nasty poison to take into your system!

Quitting smoking and addiction to nicotine does not need to be terribly difficult; there are quit smoking plans and systems to help you on your way, some of which make it incredibly easy. Find the right method for you and stick with it; you are on your way to a much healthier, more enjoyable life.

Quitting Smoking 'Cold Turkey'

Now you have decided to quit smoking today, don't waste your time by trying to cut down a little at a time, or even using substitutes like nicotine patches or gum - really what's the point? Quitting smoking 'cold turkey' is really the only way to achieve your goal.

Although it is not really the only way to quit, it is definitely the way that shows the best success rate. That is to say, the majority of people who have successfully quit did it by going cold turkey.

You will find people who did manage to quit using nicotine replacement therapy or NRT, but all they have really done is to prolong the process. NRTs will cut out many of the thousands of chemicals present in cigarette smoke, while still introducing nicotine to the system. So the body is going through two processes over a longer period of time. Quitting smoking cold turkey takes the nicotine and all the chemicals out of your body in a relatively short time. You may suffer some pretty uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms, but will know that this will only last for the first few weeks: Using NRTs is just like substituting one drug for another, like a heroin addict using methadone to try to kick his habit.

Those who kick smoking through the use of NRTs really should be congratulated, as they have had to go through a much longer drawn-out process, which allows the nicotine addiction to control both the method and outcome.

It is really necessary to think of the quitting process as a new beginning; the start of a healthier lifestyle, rather than the end of something or the loss of a part of your life. Think positive and look forward to your new life with whiter teeth, fresher breath and clean smelling clothes, as well as a healthier body.

Quitting smoking cold turkey will be much easier if you attack it in the right frame of mind.

Did you know that nicotine is an organic-based alkaloid of the same family as cocaine, morphine, quinine and strychnine?!

A natural insecticide once sold in the US under the name Black Leaf 40 was actually nicotine! Pure nicotine could kill a human with just a few drops, making it more deadly than strychnine, arsenic, cyanide or rattlesnake venom.

Wow! And you want to pay money to put this into your system!

The 'high' experienced in smoking is from dopamine, the same chemical which produces the high from alcohol or heroin.

However experts claim that heroin produces a numb dopamine high, alcohol gives a drunken dopamine high, while the alert dopamine high from nicotine is the most likely to cause dependency.

So of course you are going to experience withdrawal symptoms while quitting smoking cold turkey, but there are aids and systems to help you deal with these symptoms and guide you through the ordeal more easily.

Quitting smoking cold turkey does not have to be a major battle; if you use the right system you should be able to quit smoking today without the need for substitutes of any kind.

Top Tips to Help You Quit Smoking

Deciding to quit smoking is a very brave and tough decision, as smoking is an addiction, so like any other addiction, will take a strong person to quit without problems. Quitting smoking takes a huge amount of willpower, so any tips or aids will be welcome.
Some of the top tips to help you quit smoking are:

1. Make a definite plan of action; fix the day you will start and inform everyone around you; family, friends, work colleagues.
Let them know your plans and get their help and support. They need to be aware of what you are about to go through and to expect mood swings and irritability at times. While you have to use strong willpower to quit smoking, you will also need the support and understanding of those closest to you.

2. Fill your cupboards at home and your desk, briefcase etc with healthy snack items, like nuts, grapes, cherries, cherry tomatoes, (any bite sized fruit is great, as easy to 'pop' into your mouth as candy, but any fruit is good too) oat cakes, cereal bars, carrots and celery. Gum or candy should be sugar-free, as you want to avoid weight gain where possible and prevent rotting your teeth! Keeping snacks at hand will make it easier when cravings hit, to take something else as a substitute.

3. Find a hobby or pastime you can do to keep your hands busy. Most smokers say apart from the addiction to nicotine, they find themselves reaching for cigarettes when they have idle hands; so keep those hands busy! At the workplace nowadays no one can smoke, so there's a start to your quit smoking plan, but in your leisure time or on breaks is where the fun begins! Anything which keeps your hands busy and your mind occupied will help immensely. Try a handheld video game, a manual dexterity puzzle, sketching, doodling, knitting, crossword puzzles, or writing, are good. Best of all, keep a diary or journal; writing each day about your trials and successes will not only keep your hands and mind busy, but keeping a record will give you something to refer to for encouragement.

4. Make yourself an exercise plan; whatever your fitness and usual routine allows, from a brisk walk morning and evening, to a full workout plan at the gym. Swimming and bike riding are good too; exercise releases endorphins which keep the heart healthy, reduce stress and anxiety, while generally helping with internal harmony. Those who already have a fitness routine should increase levels considerably when trying to quit smoking.

5. Remove all smoking related items from your home, car and workplace. Not only cigarettes, but lighters, ashtrays, anything which will make you think of smoking. Surround yourself instead with bowls of nuts, seeds and fruit, as well as your hobby items; puzzles, pen & paper, journal etc. When cravings hit, (and they will, frequently) take something to chew on and pick up whatever you need to keep hands and brain occupied.

6. Last, but by no means least; keep a glass of water at hand at all times. Instead of reaching for the cigarette on the ashtray, reach for the water glass and take sips. Water will not only keep you hydrated, but stave off nicotine cravings, while at the same time helping your stomach feel full, so you will be less likely to compensate with food.

These are the top tips to help you quit smoking, but there are obviously many other ideas, and especially devised plans to help you in this tough time. The best way to quit smoking is to find the right plan for you, which you will find easiest to follow and give you the best results. Good luck!

The Best Way to Quit Smoking Today!

Are you determined to quit smoking today? Need to know the best way to quit smoking? There is a way to achieve your goal easily, without the need for patches, gum, special diets, or any other props and supports. The best way to quit smoking today is by following a very easy method which will take less than an hour of your time.

The choices up to now have been to take the pharmaceutical way; with nicotine patches or chewing gum (you stop smoking, but are still taking nicotine into your system), or pills for anxiety and stress. Or else to go it alone, 'cold turkey' and use an enormous amount of willpower and self control, change your diet totally in order to help your body adjust to the new regime.

Both these options necessitate a fitness and exercise program which again will take up a lot of your spare time.

There really is a much easier way; all you need do is take around 40 minutes to listen (yes that's all, listen!) and you will have all you need to quit that habit which has taken over your life.

No more bad breath, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, smelly clothes and hair, and no more feeling like a social outcast at parties and gatherings. Start a new life of freshness, cough and wheeze free breathing, and learn how good food can taste without the mask of cigarette smoke!

It really is so easy to quit smoking today; there is absolutely no reason not to. Most countries worldwide now have strict no smoking laws in public places, so you actually have no choice but to refrain from 'puffing' most of the time. Why not go that little bit further, and eliminate smoke from your life altogether?

The best way to quit smoking is to get a little help and advice from someone who knows what they are talking about.

There is no need for your decision to quit to take over your life, any more than smoking should. You do not need to change your entire lifestyle just to quit one nasty habit.

Of course we know that smoking is more than a habit, it is an addiction the same as any other addiction; to drugs, alcohol and so on. I don't think anyone would try to shake a drug addiction on their own, without seeking help or advice, so why should you expect to stop smoking alone.

Take a little time to read further on this excellent quit smoking plan, and when you have decided to follow it (which you will!) you need only take a little time to listen to the recording and you are already on your way to a smoke free life!

This truly is the best way to quit smoking today, as you will see by the number of positive testimonials posted. Don't delay! Make the decision, take the plunge, start yourself on the way to recovery from this anti-social addiction without hesitation.

What you will discover here is the chance to experience what is absolutely the best way to quit smoking today.

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