Quit Smoking Advices

As we always see on cigarette packs, “Cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.” This is a notice that is commonly disregarded by smokers. Without even reading this notice, they just tear open the cigarette pack, grab a stick, and light it as if they don’t want to see the glaring truth in front of it. Unfortunately, the warning stated on this package is very true. Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of death. As a matter of fact, 440,000 people in the United States die each year because of illnesses caused by this bad habit.
Fortunately, a lot of people have become aware of what smoking can do to their health and have made attempts to quit. Unfortunately, because of a substance called nicotine that is found in cigarettes, many people find it difficult to resist their cravings for the “high” that this substance can give. The good news is that there are now aids for smokers who want to quit. They can try chewing a nicotine gum or putting on a nicotine patch. These are two of the types of nicotine replacement therapy wherein the craving for the pleasurable feelings is quenched by the content of these gums and patches, taking away the need for a stick of cigarette. But, since this method is not always effective, a new option has been added: the stop smoking pill. A New Use for an Anti-depressant
Zyban is a stop smoking pill that causes a sustained release of bupropion hydrochloride, the same substance found in the anti-depressant, Wellbutrin SR. This stop smoking pill boosts the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the body, giving the user the same pleasurable feeling that is induced by the nicotine found in tobacco. These pills should be taken a week before a smoker starts to quit smoking in order to combat the withdrawal symptoms that usually haunt quitters.
Although Zyban is more effective than other anti-depressants in this aspect, it has some side effects that doctors should warn their patients about before prescribing this solution. It has been proven to cause depression in users and can increase suicidal tendencies.The New Stop Smoking Pill
Another stop smoking pill was approved by the FDA last May. Varenicline was proven to help more than one out of five smokers to stop smoking after using it for a year. This pill works by inhibiting the feelings of pleasure that smokers feel when they light up a cigarette. This stops them from associating the wonderful feeling with a stick of cigarette that they usually crave for when they are under stress, cutting off their dependency to it.
Now available under the name of Chantix, this drug should be taken twice a day for a minimum of twelve weeks in order to stop a person from lighting up a cigarette. A side effect of this stop smoking pill is said to be nausea and vomiting.
Because of the side effects that can be caused by these two stop smoking pills, they are usually considered as a last resort for people who would like to quit smoking. And for those who plan to use Zyban to quit smoking, perhaps it should be coupled with exercise in order to decrease the dependency on that medication. Exercise, after all, can hasten the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the body, giving a person the same high feeling that these pills can provide.

Wherever you look, the writing is on the wall; cigarette smoking is injurious to health. However, this statutory warning is unable to reflect the horror of the disease and death that cigarette causes so that now in many places a cigarette pack also contains the skull and bones image to better drive in the point. Smokers not only put their lives in peril but also cause all those around them to suffer the dangers of passive smoking.
Quitting smoking tests the nerves of smokers to the extent that they may need help and support to accomplish this seemingly insurmountable task. The extreme physical and emotional dependence on nicotine causes the smoker to experience great anguish while quitting smoking. However, a strong determination coupled with aid and support can make the burden easier on the smoker. One option to make quitting successful is by participating in stop smoking forums. The online forums are a great source of information and motivation to stop smoking.
Forum as a source of information:
If you do not feel that you can adopt the cold turkey method to stop smoking, you can try out the stop smoking forum to enlighten you on various aspects of giving up the habit. Here, you will find abundant information on alternative therapies, traditional treatment methods and so on. Those smokers who are first timers at quitting can get a lot of help from the information that is prominently displayed for this very purpose. One important and immensely valuable feature of a stop smoking forum is the experiences of former and present smokers that are posted. Their feedback is very crucial because it tells you about the mistakes that they made or the successful tactics that they adopted. You can thus, steer clear from similar mistakes and emulate their winning strategy.
Social pressure:
While you gain from the experience of others it is also a good idea to share your own stop smoking plan. So, introduce yourself to the stop smoking forum and talk about the route that you are taking to quitting, the problems that you are facing as well as how you have successfully overcome some obstacles. This will benefit other smokers trying to quit who will take courage from your experiences. So while you have to put up with the splitting headaches caused by withdrawal, knowing that you are a source of encouragement to others will make it more bearable. Another manner in which stop smoking forums can be beneficial to you is that when you start interacting socially via the forum you are under greater pressure to maintain your non-smoking status, which will make it very awkward and difficult for you to light up even if you want to.
It is easier to suffer a relapse when you are alone in your quest to stop smoking. Whereas, when you have to post your progress every day on the forum, cheating yourself and others will be task that will not come easily to you. And if you do succumb, talking about it on the stop smoking forum will not only lessen your guilt but will also bring out encouragement from others to not lose heart but keep at it.
So, explore your social environment and network to derive maximum benefit from it to help you succeed in your struggle to give up this dreadful habit.

If you’re a smoker, and people around you know it, you’re probably barraged by demands to stop. Some are caring and kindly. Others abrasive, even disgusted. Do the people you love quote scary facts and figures at you? Does it make you want to stop? No? Thought so.
Or maybe you yourself want to stop smoking. You may even be heard to say that you desperately want to stop smoking. Uh-oh. Desperation may make it harder to stop.
So is there no way out? Nothing you can do? There is something. And it’s startlingly simple. Here it is: Let smoking cessation be a desire for you. Something you want-and choose-to do.
Even if your doctor, your spouse, and your best buddies say “You absolutely must stop smoking!” make it that you want to stop smoking. It’s a desire. Desires are more compelling than orders, aren’t they? That’s because orders make you angry and you want to ignore them.
Give an adult an order and he or she quickly reverts to a willful five-year-old. “I will NOT!” The voice may have gotten deeper but the attitude stays the same.
What if you were ordered to eat your favorite cake? Maybe you’d eat it. Maybe not. But most certainly it wouldn’t be as fun as choosing to eat your favorite cake.
Desires, rather than orders, threats, or commands, are alluring. Desirable. Seductive.
They invite you to do something, and let you know it’s what you’ve wanted to do all along. So invite yourself to be a nonsmoker, the way you’d invite someone special to a lovely dinner party. How to do that?
First, think of what it would be like to be a nonsmoker. Might your hair smell fresher? What about your breath and clothes? Might your teeth look whiter without nicotine to stain them yellow and, eventually, brown? Would you prefer to keep your teeth as you get older instead of succumbing to gum disease and tooth loss, as many smokers eventually do?
How about fewer trips to the dry cleaners to keep your clothes odor-free? What would you do with the savings? After some years, they could be substantial. And would you enjoy having fewer age lines, and fresher, clearer skin as you age? Does improved breathing sound good to you? It should because it can mean appearing younger, walking and running easily, and having more stamina for most activities, including sex.
Here’s another benefit you might enjoy: lower insurance costs. Extra money to put toward a vacation or your next shiny, new car. Why lower insurance costs? That’s because many insurance companies penalize smokers because they’re statistically likely to run up higher health-care bills. And if we’re talking about life insurance, nonsmokers tend to live longer and healthier.
But if you’re considering just lying about being a nonsmoker, beware. Yes, beware. Because if your insurance company were to discover that your illness was caused or exacerbated by your smoking, and their records show you claimed to be a nonsmoker, they might choose to fight against paying health care costs. Is it really worth all that just to put a white stick between your lips and inhale tar and other poisons?
But that white stick seemed to do something for you that we haven’t taken into account yet. Fair is fair, so let’s make a list.
It gave you something to do.
It made you look like you were doing something so you didn’t seem lonely.
It helped you avoid snacking, so you think it kept your weight down.
It let you disconnect from others when you wanted to.
It helped you connect with others. Other smokers. You hung out together outside once
no-smoking laws forbade you to smoking indoors.
Fair enough.
The important question is: do you prefer to avoid early aging, smelly hair, yellow, brown or missing teeth, not to mention the serious illnesses caused or made worse by smoking-
or do you prefer to smoke?
Another good question is: Can you get something to do, look like you’re doing something, choose healthier, low calorie snacking to stay lean, and find other ways to connect and disconnect from others as you choose? If you can, you simply don’t need to smoke.
But smokers like to smoke because when they were young, they learned to connect it with independence. The Marlboro Man looked pretty independent, didn’t he? Maybe, but not as much when he was hooked up to oxygen so he could breathe.
So if you love independence and doing what you want to do instead of being told, the answer is simple. You can choose independence from cigarette companies, restaurants that ban smoking, friends who urge you to smoke with them and friends who nag you to stop smoking. You can just choose to quit smoking. Simply because you-and nobody else-said so. And that’s that. Feels pretty powerful, independent, and freeing-doesn’t it? Copyright 2007 by Wendy Lapidus-Saltz. All rights reserved.

Stop smoking medicine is divided into two main types – conventional medicine and alternative medicine. The conventional medicine is that which doctors prescribe. This kind of medicine is generally prescribed in conjunction with other smoking cessation therapies, which indicates that it is not able to work by itself. Alternative stop smoking medicine is making its presence felt in a big way today. This medicine contains formulations of traditionally developed herbs and is totally natural.
Conventional medicine has been used for a long time in smoking cessation, but its development has occurred only recently. There are many well-known brands that are prescribed to smokers, such as NicVAX, Wellbutrin or Zyban, Chantix, etc. The common thing in all these medicines is that they are actually antidepressants and their major role in smoking cessation is to prevent depression pangs from happening in the smoker.
Most doctors would also agree that the medicines they prescribe to their smokers have little more than a placebo effect. The truth is, though these medicines are antidepressants, the body may become immune to them after a certain period of time. After that, only a placebo effect remains. In addition, such stop smoking medicine can help mild smokers to give up their habit, but they would prove to be largely ineffective in hardened smokers.
That is the reason why doctors always prescribe their stop smoking medicine in addition to some therapy like the nicotine patch. The nicotine patch itself is controversial, because it does contain nicotine. The effectiveness of using nicotine to wean away a nicotine addiction is highly debated even in the medical field itself. Behavior therapies are also prescribed, but their effectiveness is highly subjective.
Alternative medicines used for smoking cessation are herbal extracts. These medicines are not just antidepressants like the conventional medicines are, but they act at various levels. Herbal medicines try to create a dislike for nicotine in the smoker, which makes it much more easier to stay away from the addiction. They do act like antidepressants also and, in a way, they could be counted as safer antidepressants because they are made from natural products that could be used for all kinds of people.
Herbal stop smoking medicine is formulated to repair the damage that smoking has already caused in the body. This is not a quick process, and indeed, in some people a total healing process can take up to ten years. The length of the healing time would depend on the extent to which smoke has damaged the smokers body.
Lobelia is a very commonly used in herbal stop smoking medicine. Lobelia is very similar to tobacco in taste, but it is not addictive. There are stop smoking cigarettes available with lobelia in them. These give the smoker a similar thrill compared to the nicotine cigarette, but do not cause addiction or the harmful effects in the body and mind that nicotine causes. Other commonly used herbs for the purpose are chamomile, Kava Kava and Saint Johns Wort.
Alternative stop smoking medicine is showing encouraging results in tests and in actual use. FDA has still to approve this kind of medicine, but the general acceptance of the effectiveness of herbal medicine is its prime USP.

The stop smoking patch, also known as the nicotine patch, is becoming very popular today in quitting smoking. This is a rectangular patch that is supposed to be attached onto the skin. The main intention of the nicotine patch is to reduce the craving for cigarettes. This is how the nicotine patch works.
The main ingredient of the stop smoking patch is nicotine. Nicotine from the patch is slowly absorbed into the persons body. Due to this, the persons urge for nicotine is met with, and he or she does not find the craving for cigarettes. It is necessary to understand how nicotine can help in controlling the smoking habit.
Nicotine is the main addictive substance in the cigarette, but it not the most harmful substance. The substance that causes harm in the cigarette is tar. When a person is using the stop smoking patch, he or she is answering the urge for nicotine, but keeping away from the harmful effects of the tar.
Stop smoking patches are available in three different variations, with differing amounts of nicotine in them. They can contain 21 mg, 14 mg and 7 mg of nicotine. This is so that people can choose the nicotine patch they want according to their smoking habit. One cigarette contains about 1 mg of nicotine in it. So, the patch chosen will be according to the total number of cigarettes the smoker smokes in a day. If a person is a heavy smoker, then he or she should initially start with the concentrated patches and then should gradually work their way down. The idea is to slowly cut down on the amount of nicotine taken till the addiction vanishes.
Of course, there is widespread criticism of such a method, even though it is so popular. Some people cannot understand why nicotine is used to remove nicotine addiction in the first place. And they are not totally wrong, either. Stop smoking patches can keep the body away from the harmful effects of nicotine, but they may not actually keep the person away from the nicotine addiction. There have been cases when people have reverted back to their cigarettes when the use of the patch has been discontinued.
There are also some health problems that stop smoking patches can produce. They can cause heart ailments in people with certain other medical complications. Nicotine affects the nervous system, due to which these patches can cause vivid nightmares and other vigorous dreams if kept on at nighttime. But if the patch is removed at bedtime, then there could be a craving for a cigarette early in the morning. Also, the stop smoking patch could be irritating for people with sensitive skin due to the adhesive in it.
However, the stop smoking patches have become very popular, because they have shown positive results in people who use them diligently. If used for a long time, the craving for smoking does reduce, but the problem is very few users of nicotine patches keep the treatment on for a long time. The number of people reverting back to active smoking is quite high for this method to get universal recommendation.

It’s the New Year! And one of your new resolutions is to quit smoking. Like the millions upon millions of smokers out there, you have literally tried everything to help you quit smoking and nothing seems to work. Perhaps this year, you may want to try acupuncture. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice that utilizes tiny needles at certain pressure points in the skin to treat certain diseases and disorders. There’s a belief that by using the needles at certain points in the body, it may be possible to help the person stop smoking. Based on this information, more and more smokers each year are making appointments with acupuncture specialists, with the hope of quitting this nasty and expensive habit once and for all.
How Does Acupuncture Help With Stopping Smoking?
The technique of using acupuncture to help stop smoking is accomplished by inserting thin needles into the skin over certain organs designated as affecting the breathing areas of the body, such as the airways, lungs and the mouth. This help stimulates the organs and the areas of the body controlled by them, to help the person stop smoking. By applying acupuncture techniques, smokers have reported a diminish need to smoke and have even shown that the cigarette related chemicals have become absent, or lessened in their blood stream.
There are many specialists who practice this ancient form of Chinese acupuncture and more and more acupuncture clinics are popping up every year in cities all over the world. When you make a schedule with an acupuncturist, the practitioner will sit down with you and will ask you a variety of questions, such as how long have you smoking, how much do you smoke on the daily basis and some of your reasons for wanting to quit smoking. Chances are, they will also ask you if you are using any other smoking cessation products, such as chewing gum or the patch. Some of these products may negatively affect the results of the acupuncture treatment for stopping smoking.
Millions of people every year try to quit smoking using the patch, hypnosis, chewing gum and anything else they can get their hands on. Unfortunately, these same people end up with that smoking happen again as soon as they stop using that program. That doesn’t mean that the person is a loser just because the program didn’t work for them. It’s not their lack of will power nor their worthiness as a person. The facts are trying to quit smoking is one of the toughest habits to break for anyone. So if you have never tried acupuncture to stop smoking before, perhaps you may want to give to try this year. It may be just a ticket to help you stop smoking on a permanent basis.

Giving up smoking is one of the hardest habits of all to break and while the odd person gets lucky and finds quitting the easiest thing in the world, most of us need all the help we can get.

And this is of course where a wide range of stop smoking programs come in.

There are essentially two elements to breaking the smoking cycle. One of these is getting rid of the nicotine dependency, the other being breaking the physical habit.

Generally it only takes 2-3 days to rid your body for 90%+ of the nicotine so this tends to be the easier of the two to break.

Amusingly, when you consider it, most stop smoking programs actually focus specifically on this nicotine withdrawal element.

Smoking patches, inhalers and nicotine gum all serve to replace the nicotine in your cigarettes with nicotine in another form.

The only real gain therefore is that you stop the harmful toxins – tar and other cancer-causing agents – from entering your body but you are still, to all intents and purposes, hooked on smoking.

After that 2-3 day window has passed, when any possible nicotine withdrawal has faded, the element trying to get you smoking again is your behaviour.

You get used to enjoying that first cigarette of the day or the one straight after dinner. Often cigarettes form an emotional prop to support us in times of stress or sadness.

All of these are the behavioural element at work and are far harder to break.

So stop smoking programs that deal directly with these aspects tend to be far more successful and lead to far longer-term results.

Stop smoking programs in this area may include hypnosis, reading books or deliberate behaviour adjustment based on the advice of experts and it is this type of product I recommend you start off with.

These aids will help you understand the triggers in your mind. You will learn effortlessly *what* causes you to want to smoke and how to change this emphasis so you no longer feel that you need a cigarette in these cases.

By going down this route, you take away the potential pain and discomfort of quitting smoking. Too many people are nervous about stopping. They’d like to do it, but are very wary about how unpleasant it is going to be and how much will power it will take. To many people it’s the hardest thing they’ve ever tried.

But that’s the old school method.

By changing your behaviour you will find it surprisingly easy to stop smoking. Withdrawal symptoms will be minor at worst. You’ll sail through it and wonder what everyone else finds so hard and about giving up the weed!

It really is a whole new experience I can assure you. And that’s coming from someone who has tried both ways. I used to try the old methods and could barely manage 12 hours of unbelievable discomfort before I gave in (again) and had a cigarette. Then one day I managed to quit without any side effects at all and I was literally shocked at how different an experience it was.

So don’t waste a minute. You’re online, looking for a solution to help you stop smoking. Make the most of it. Make today the day you find your solution. Get looking for stopping smoking behavioural books.

STOP SMOKING AND STAY SLIM

A RADICAL AND BRILLIANT 3 STEP PROGRAMME FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICALLY HOOKED

“If all we needed to do to give up and stay slim was to slap on a couple of patches, look at pictures of tar-filled lungs and eat sensibly, then we’d all have done it years ago”

The two biggest problems most people face when trying to stop smoking are a fear of weight gain and adjusting to a new lifestyle. You know smoking is bad for you but so is being overweight and anxious. So how do you stop smoking and enjoy your new way of life? Firstly lets have a look at:

Why do people gain weight when they quit smoking?

The answer to this may seem obvious to you if you’ve quit before – you just tend to eat more to ‘fill the gap’ right?. But its a bit more scientific than this.

Smoking increases metabolism slightly:

• Smoking burns up to 200 calories a day in a heavy smoker

• Because smoking burns calories, metabolism is boosted (increased) slightly

• Nicotine is an appetite suppressant

When you quit smoking, a gain of between 5 and 10 pounds during the first few months is considered normal

Why do I want to eat more?

Smoking cessation throws our bodies into shock initially:

Increased appetite is a side effect of quitting tobacco for most people. One or more of the following reasons may be at play:

• Cigarettes as an appetite suppressant – Smokers often avoid between meal snacking by lighting up. Nicotine is a stimulant and may also interfere with the release of the hormone insulin. Insulin controls glucose levels in the blood. When this function is blocked, a person will become slightly hyperglycemic (too much sugar in the blood) and, as a result, the body and brain may slow down the hormones and other signals that trigger the feelings of hunger.

• Food as a replacement for smoking – early on a in a person’s quit, the urge to smoke is frequent and uncomfortable. It’s natural to look for something to ease the discomfort, and food is often used as a replacement. Not only does it fill the void left by the cigarette, food can be an emotional comfort, easing the pain of withdrawal.

Why do I fear losing my identity?

Ever stopped smoking and, even months later, find yourself grieving for the ‘old you’?

The label ’smoker’ can be an integral part of your image – especially if you started smoking at an early age.

Think of your image as a smoker. You may be surprised at how many of your qualities you associate with smoking, such as being outgoing, outspoken, able to let your hair down or not follow rules. This association of cigarettes and brands with particular qualities has been fuelled by images in the media over the years. In TV shows, films and documentaries, smoking has been associated with all sorts of qualities such as charm, allure, intellect, being slim, rebelliousness, strength and daring. Take a second to think of examples of these characters in the modelling, music or entertainment industries.

When you quit, you have to let go of these perceptions. You may also be letting go of a lifestyle centered around smoking and drinking in social situations (the two often go together).

Nicotine lowers anxiety temporarily

According to a psychologist called Hans Eysenck, Smokers tend to fall into three personality categories: Extroversion, neuroticism and psychoticism, with each of these personality traits linked to higher than average stress levels. In effect, smokers ’self medicate’ with nicotine to bring their anxiety levels down to an acceptable level.

There are also works based on the Sensation Seeking Theory which is concerned with people’s needs for new and varied experiences, and those that follow the theoretical model of the Big Five traits of personality. Additionally, it appears that Type A individuals with high trait anxiety view smoking as a way to stimulate themselves, whereas Type Individuals claim they smoke in order to relax.

Do you recognise yourself in any of the above examples? If so, it is quite likely that giving up without a clear plan of action will result in chronic anxiety, a nagging sense of loss and weight gain.

SOMETIMES WE NEED TO TAKE RADICAL STEPS

THE ANSWER LIES IN

TRAINING FOR A TRIATHLON

Why a Triathlon for heaven’s sake – couldn’t I just take up gentle jogging? I hear you ask

Well, yes, but gentle jogging won’t:

• give you something to directly aim for. It is a well known fact in the world of exercise that no aim = no motivation = give up.

• gentle jogging won’t actually sculpt your body. Running, Swimming and biking (along with some weights) most certainly will.

• most importantly, aiming to complete a triathlon will completely and utterly change your lifestyle from that as a smoker. Sometimes we need to take radical steps. Hopefully, by the time you’ve completed the triathlon – or sometime before – you will have adjusted to, and prefer this lifestyle over the old smoking one. Even if you never attempt another triathlon, chances are you’ll continue to enjoy staying fit and healthy. This in turn could easily open doors that have always been closed due to your lack of fitness/stamina. For example, surfing, rock climbing, mountain biking, charity runs (a marathon?) or just being able to run about with the kids.

• gentle jogging won’t get that natural high like triathlon training will…

Okay, Okay, for a short period of time, you will be replacing one coping mechanism (nicotine) with another (endorphins)

Endorphins explained..

Fit people are usually in high spirits after lengthy exercise, sometimes to the point of elation or joy. This feeling is associated with the presence of endorphins, which are released by the pituitary gland in the brain

The word “endorphin” is a combination of “endo” and “morphine” – meaning endogenously (self) produced morphine, or internally produced painkiller. It may be that the brain interprets exercise as a form of “pain” or it may be that the rise in fatty acids caused by long, gentle exercise acidifies the blood, which triggers the release of endorphins.

In any case, you can get from exercise a natural high, similar to a drug high, but with none of the bad side effects. People who do long, continuous, gentle exercise enjoy the most effective stress therapy known to man.

How long and how hard do you have to exercise to get the endorphin high?

Most researchers have found that moderate-intensity exercise lasting at least 20 to 30 minutes produces the greatest increase of blood endorphins. So the key is to exercise slowly and aerobically. The biological explanation why you don’t get the endorphin rush from short, fast bursts of exercise is that during high stress situations (running fast from a dangerous situation for example) your body can’t afford to have your brain tripping off into fantasy land.

Slow, aerobic exercise is exactly what you will be doing when you begin your triathlon training

3 STEP PROGRAMME

1. Buy the nicotine replacement gum (NRT)- or losenge/patch – whatever works for you.

You are now armed with all you need to get you comfortably through the first few days of quitting. Throw or give away any remaining cigarettes, tobacco or lighters – you won’t be needing them again. Oh sorry, did I forget to say? You’re now a non-smoker. Please don’t worry – this really is going to be very easy.

Use the gum as prescribed over the next few days. I found it quite useful to have ‘little and often’ – whenever I felt a craving coming on, I would bite off a small piece of gum and congratulate myself for getting through another one. Overdosing on NRT can make you feel sick. Its a good idea to check on the packet, for example, patches are only for the heavier, more regular ex-smokers. Remember, this bit only lasts a few days. But you may wish to continue with the NRT for longer – whatever works for you. I haven’t yet met anyone who became ‘addicted’ to NRT – probably because it tastes so horrible.

2. Dust off or buy some essential items of equipment:

1. A swim-suit and goggles

2. A good pair of running shoes

3. A bicycle and helmet

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3. Get on the Internet – find a local Sprint Triathlon taking place in a few months time, sign up and get training

I realise this sounds utterly crazy to you. After all, 5 minutes ago you were a wheezing, unfit smoker (WUS). But what have you got to lose? You don’t have to win the triathlon – I’m just asking that you get yourself fit enough to take part in and, hopefully, finish the race. To become a triathlete in training (TIT).

Below is a simple guide ‘How to get started on your Sprint Triathlon’. For a more detailed information, there are many excellent books on the subject from Amazon.com or visit the excellent website http://www.stopsmokingstayslim.com

Below I have given a brief outline of the level of fitness you will need to attain (and timescales) to complete a Sprint triathlon in comfort. But remember – you only need to be able to take part in and enjoy the race for this Stop Smoking Stay Slim plan to be effective.

The Sprint Triathlon

You can start immediately on this plan if you can already do the following:

1. swim 500m (20 lengths of a 25m pool) without stopping

2. cycle at an easy pace for 45 minutes

3. run for 30 minutes without stopping

If you’re not up to this level – don’t worry, just follow this six-week pre-training programme for absolute beginners:

Six week pre-Sprint training plan

Weeks 1 and 2

• Swim:300m twice a week with a 10-second rest every 25m.

• Bike: 20 minutes at a slow pace twice a week

• Run: 15 minutes jog-walk twice a week (jog for 40 seconds, then walk for 30 seconds, and repeat)

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Weeks 3 and 4

• Swim:300m twice a week with 15-second rest every 50m.

• Bike: 30 minutes at a slow pace twice a week

• Run: 20 minutes jog-walk twice a week (jog for 60 seconds, then walk for 60 seconds and repeat)

Weeks 5 and 6

• Swim: 400m twice a week, with a 15-second rest every 100m

• Bike: 40 minutes at a slow/easy pace twice a week

• Run: 25 minutes at jog-walk twice a week (jogging more than walking)

The following week, you should have reached the above 500/45/30 minimum – Well done

For the 10 week Sprint Training Plan, articles, facts, FAQs, Top Tips, competition and great offers, visit http://www.stopsmokingstayslim.com

All smokers will know what it’s like once that little white stick has a hold on you. The world and his wife will be against you, telling you to stop smoking, complaining about the smell, pointing out the health risks. But what do they know? Why would you want to miss out on your social cigarette outside the pub with your mates? After all, it hasn’t hurt any of them.
The fact that eighty per cent of lung cancer cases come from smoking cigarettes still leaves you with a twenty per cent chance of not getting it. Are you willing to take that chance? Maybe you think you could recognise the early symptoms and get it treated. Until then, you’re willing to risk it? Or give up as a new year’s resolution? On your birthday? At Christmas? Maybe never?
I watched my grandmother die a slow, painful death from lung cancer. Unable to breath properly for quite some time, we had constantly pressured her to stop smoking but she liked it. She said she didn’t want to give up, that the inevitable would never happen to her. The fact that she regularly coughed up blood she put down to old age and firmly stuck her head in the sand when it came to the thought of lung cancer.
However, if you are one of the lucky twenty per cent who smoke their way through life without getting ill then this won’t affect you, will it? It may bring about the death of a loved one through their passive smoking around you but surely it’s still your choice to smoke?
If you don’t mind the difficulty of not being able to breathe, if you don’t mind coughing up blood, if you think the loss of appetite will just make you slimmer then don’t stop smoking. The general fatigue will creep up on you slowly and you’ll get used to it – until it’s too late to do anything about.
If you don’t mind the thick gunk that collects in your lungs, breeding tumours, then don’t stop smoking. If you don’t mind that these tumours may spread to your liver, bones or brain then continue your habit.
If you don’t mind your family watch you go through the immense pain that accompanies lung, liver, bone and brain cancers then don’t stop smoking. If you can live with the fact that if lung cancer from smoking travels to your brain, you will go through periods where you don’t recognise your own children then don’t stop smoking.
If you don’t mind the fact that brain cancer will bring about personality changes that can bring immeasurable emotional pain for all your loved ones, then why quit? If you think a couple of paracetemol will rid you of the gnawing, continuous pain of bone cancer, persist in you habit.
If your partner is happy to see you through a bronchoscopy, PET scan, CT scan and bone scans while they diagnose how far your cancer has spread, then there is no need to stop smoking. Of course, they will be there when you come round from surgery to remove tumours and they will be there if you ever wish to tell them about your awake craniotomy surgery to remove the brain tumours. If you think they can sustain that sort of emotional turmoil, then why stop smoking?
It’s a known fact that lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers you can possibly get, that it is rarely diagnosed until the advanced stages. It is also one that easily spreads to other organs through the lymph system, lodging in other organs and bones. These cancers will bring sickness, extreme pain, confusion, depression – and that’s just in your friends and family. But hey, there’s only a twenty per cent chance of that happening if you don’t stop smoking so why carry on?

It is widely recognised that Smoking tobacco products represents one of the single most potent killers of the modern age. This frightening statistic has come about due to the addictive nature of tobacco smoke because of its portion of the chemical compound nicotine which is assimilated into the person’s bloodstream virtually instantly bringing about a gently inebriating outcome. It has been described in literary art as “dry drunkenness” Smoking tobacco products which is the literally the operation of combusting, savouring and breathing in tobacco smoke, is exercised recreationally by tens of millions of smokers all over the world but regrettably lung cancer has taken it’s place as one of the greatest causes of death of individuals below the age of sixty in the United States of America and other Western countries.

There has been a huge amount of bad publicity recently with relevance to the health risks that are undeniably connected to smoking tobacco products. Alongside this publicity they have been numerous advertising campaigns in the media with regard to the unfavourable consequences of smoking tobacco. These advert campaigns have brought about quite a strong ripple effect in the populace as increasing numbers of individuals come to the sober recognition that each cigarette smoked cuts up to nine days off of their expected lifespan. These frightening statistics don’t even take into account the increased chance of being diagnosed with lung cancer or any number of related health problems and ramifications as well as ailments that affect your skin.

Because of the recent health campaigns related to the effects of smoking tobacco products, there has been an upsurge in the number of people who attempt to stop smoking. Regrettably, the addictive properties of nicotine are immense and it is often reported that the first several tries at giving up smoking are received with sturdy opposition. Yet in that respect there are several tips a person can accommodate to assist him or her cease this habit.

The first thing you need to be is very determined. This implies gaining a strong resolve within yourself to ensure that you do everything that you need to do to accomplish your quit smoking program. It’s well known that during your battle to stop smoking you will inevitably experience bad days as well as good days, highs as well as lows but at the end of the day stopping smoking is truly without an alternative. You must adopt the attitude of an achiever in order to be successful.

An additional step is to delegate accountability partners. This involves speaking with somebody who will supervise you to check there’s no possibility of reverting back to your old habits. This person can be a husband or wife, a close acquaintance or a mentor. It is generally best if you select someone for the job who does not themselves smoke, even better if you can find a person who has themselves succeeded in stopping smoking.

The act of breaking the smoking habit can also be made a bit easier if one studies all the information available. This is due to the fact that a great number of individuals who choose to start smoking tobacco products do not fully comprehend the perils of smoking particularly from a health or viewpoint. Educational activity is a significant weapon in your armoury versus a nicotine dependency and can literally make the difference betwixt life-or-death. The World Wide Web has first-class resources on smoking tobacco products and how to quit, together with public libraries and your local medical professionals.