Stop Smoking Start Living

Transcription

1 Stop Smoking Start Living

2 Health and Wellness It s no secret that smoking is bad for your health. We are made aware of the warnings at a young age, and the. Information is often right on the cigarette box. Yet, because of it s addictiveness, we still don t shake the habit for the benefit of our health. Like many un-healthy habits, the addiction is seemingly to hard to overcome, despite our desire and attempts to quit often lead us to rely on other substances to fill the gap of what we are leaving behind. For Example: Smokers who are trying to quit, often fill their cravings with sugary drinks, which is also an unhealthy habit.

3 Health and Wellness Today our class will be looking at health and wellness, before, during and after the quitting process. We will engage with a few videos of awareness and testimony, and brainstorm for ourselves, what activities might help ourselves to lead a better life health wise. Tobacco products are designed to be addictive, which can be a struggle for people who smoke. Quitting smoking is hard, but with the proper support you'll be able to see the benefits of kicking the habit almost immediately.

4 Over the last few weeks, we have spent a lot of time focusing on addiction and habits. From these classes, our conversations have been focused around determining what causes us to smoke. We have asked ourselves, where we smoke because of addiction, and where we smoke because of habit. When focusing on quitting those habit cigarettes, it is important to stay focused on avoiding the unnecessary opportunities. When fighting the addiction side of smoking, it is important to develop healthy coping mechanisms and alternatives.

5 Wellness Activities: Easing the Mind Join a local sports league Yoga classes or meditation to relieve stress Participate in a 5K run or start training for one Turn meetings with friends or colleagues into walking meetings Keep a coloring book around you Hold a fitness challenge with friends, and encourage one another Pray or engage in prayer or meditation Develop a motivational journal, writing down your successes

6 Wellness: Look for support What will make quitting easier? Tell your family and friends that you are going to quit. Ask for their assistance and support. They must understand that you find it difficult to be around them when they are smoking, so you may appear to avoid contact for a few months. Drink gallons of water every day. Have non-fattening snack foods around: Carrots, celery sticks, gum, apples. Smokers and Ex-smokers should eat a diet rich in beta carotene found in carrots, spinach, broccoli.

7 Don't have cigarettes around at all, and don't bum from friends. Collect a jar of butts and when you are tempted, take a whiff. Take one day at a time. Congratulate yourself every day and celebrate once a week, but no cigarette as a reward. After a week off, you will probably try to convince yourself that you have this addiction licked and you can have just one... Join a support group at the Lung Association. "But I have tried to quit and I can't!" Stick with it! Many successful quitters will tell you that it can take many attempts before you are smoke free. Don't give up, instead try again.

8 Ever Wonder How Fast Changes Start to Happen After You Quit? Check Out This Timeline of Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking:

9 Time after quitting Benefit 20 mins - Blood pressure and pulse return to normal 8 hours - Oxygen levels return to normal - Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half 12 hours - Carbon monoxide levels in blood drop to normal 24 hours - Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body - Lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris 48 hours - There is no nicotine left in the body - Ability to taste and smell is greatly improved 72 hours - Breathing becomes easier - Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase 2-12 weeks - Circulation improves & Lung function increases

10 3-9 months - Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung functions are increased by up to 10% 12 months - Excess risk of coronary heart disease is reduced by about half and declines gradually hereafter 5 years - Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker - Risk of stroke returns to the level of people who never smoked 10 years - Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker 15 years - Risk of lung cancer reduced to close of non-smokers - Risk of coronary heart disease falls to the same as non-smoker - If you have quit smoking before age 50 you have halved the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with continuing smokers

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12 Daily Take Away Each class, we will devote the last ten minutes to a Daily Take Away. This is an opportunity for everyone to take one piece of advice or information, from the day s class, and determine how it is going to impact you, until the next time we meet. Example: Developing a healthy replacement habit, can with time become just as satisfying Outcome: By finding a healthy habit, I am choosing an alternative way to cope with my stress and anxiety, that is better for my mind and body. Take a moment to think about your take away for the week. If desired, share it with the class; help others hold you accountable. Class Challenge: Choose an activity discussed today, and begin to practice it two times per week.