FitSugar

Tips to Quit Smoking

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:00:00 PDT

England's recent public smoking ban reminded me there are regular smokers out there still needing to quit. Quitting smoking is one of the healthiest things you can do and I want to be supportive.

So if you're one of them, or if you know someone who needs to quit, here are a few tips from the British Dietetic Association on making quitting a little easier:

Chew it over: Some people find that chewing a nicotine gum can help when quitting smoking. But did you know that a recent study showed that chewing sugar-free gum actually suppressed appetite, and specifically the desire for sweets and snacks? Some people also find that cleaning their teeth after a meal or having minty gum helps to stop the craving.
Leave a bad taste: Research from the USA has shown that whereas some foods seem to enhance the 'taste' of cigarettes, others make them taste really bad, and could help you to give up. Go for low fat dairy products, fruit, vegetables, water and fruit juice for the best effects.
C yourself right: Smokers tend to have lower levels of vitamin C in their blood than non-smokers. Give yourself a boost of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables - take advantage of seasonal vegetables and summer berries, salads and smoothies - all of these will help to achieve your 5 A DAY as well. There's no need for supplements - fruits and vegetables provide sufficient vitamin C.
Out and about: With the lungs beginning to clear of the mucus caused by smoking within as little as 24-hours after the last cigarette, now is the time to get out and enjoy some summer outdoor activities - even a short brisk walk on a light evening is a great start. Start gently, but aim to build up to 10,000 steps a day for real benefits and to help prevent weight gain - and because you've stopped smoking, you'll soon start to find exercise easier. Use a pedometer to 'quantify' your exercise.

8 Tips For Quitting Smoking

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:00:29 PST

Tomorrow, Nov. 18, is the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even our own DrSugar all urge you to quit smoking! It is one of the best things you can do for your health.

We all know that quitting is not an easy feat, so I'm offering some timeless tips for kicking the habit. Whether you have a pack-a-day habit or consider yourself a social smoker, smoking is wreaking havoc on your health, so here are some strategies to help you stop for good.

Exercise more. Getting moving is a great way to remind yourself why you shouldn't smoke. Exercise can reduce your stress and help you relax far better than cigarettes. Even just five minutes of walking can help fend off urges.
Go over the counter. Stop-smoking aids like gum, lozenges, and patches really do help ease withdrawal symptoms. Even if you want to go cold turkey, it might help to have some gum on hand for the times when you're especially irritable or antsy.
Chew away your cravings. Regular gum can also be effective at battling cravings. Keeping your mouth busy will help keep your mind off smoking.
Play with your phone. Harness the power of your smartphone with handy apps like Quitter, which is free and calculates how much money you're saving by not buying cigarettes, or spend $3.99 for LiveStrong's My Quit Coach, which helps you set goals and monitors your progress.

I have more tips, so keep on reading.

How to Ditch Cigarettes Without Gaining Weight

Jenny Sugar — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:48:46 PDT

Quitting cigarettes can be tough to endure; nicotine is so addictive. That's why we're thrilled to hear Jennifer Aniston is putting herself on the nonsmoker list. People reports that in a recent press conference Jen said:

"And rumor Number two: no, we're not pregnant. It's just I quit smoking, so I've gained a couple of pounds."

It's common when quitting smoking to put on a little weight since you tend to reach for other things to keep your mouth busy. Cigarettes can also suppress your appetite, and when you give them up, your hunger may increase. If you're a smoker and are worried giving up the habit will cause you to pack on the pounds, here are some tips to help you quit without gaining weight.

Tell everyone you're quitting: You need all the support you can get. If everyone close to you knows you want to quit, your friends can help distract you when your cravings strike, and your co-workers will know not to ask you to come out for a cigarette break.
Avoid your triggers: Whether it's hitting a nightclub with friends, your morning cup of joe, or driving with the window down - know your triggers and steer clear of locations, food, or people that cause cigarette cravings.
Exercise: Studies show that people have an easier time quitting when exercise is part of their cessation plan, because exercise can reduce nicotine cravings. Plus working out burns calories helping prevent weight gain.

Keep reading for more tips to help you quit cigarettes without gaining weight.

Want to Quit Smoking?

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:00:19 PDT

Quitting smoking is just about the best thing you can do for your health. Countless studies have shown smoking can lead to serious health problems, not only for the smoker, but also for non-smokers breathing secondhand smoke. It's never too late to quit, and if you want to call yourself a non-smoker like some of these celebs, here are some tips to help make it happen.

Think of a powerful and specific reason you want to quit. Something that's as important as wanting to avoid having your family visit you in the hospital because you have lung cancer will be strong enough to outweigh your craving to light up.
Don't try quitting cold turkey. Stats show that 95 percent of people who quit without therapy or medication end up going back to their old ways. So ween yourself off of nicotine slowly. Use nicotine gum or patches to minimize the overwhelming symptoms of withdrawal that include depression, restlessness, and anger.
Get rid of the evidence. Once you decide to quit, get rid of your secret cigarette stash, lighters, and ashtrays. Wash all your clothes, curtains, blankets, and anything else that smells like smoke. Use air fresheners in your home or car, because the slightest smell may make you relapse.

To see the other tips,

25 Ways to Waste Your Money

Kiplinger — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:15:53 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy!

Has your budget sprung a leak?

Nearly everyone has spending holes. And as with other kinds of leaks, you may have hardly noticed them. But those small drips can quickly add up to big bucks. The trick is to find the holes and plug them so you can keep more money in your pocket. That extra cash could be the ticket to finally being able to save, invest, or break your cycle of living from paycheck to paycheck.

Here are 25 common ways people waste money. See if any of these sound familiar, then look for ways to plug your own leaks:

1. Carrying a balance. Debt is a shackle that holds you back. For instance, if you have a $1,000 balance on a credit card that charges an 18% rate, you blow $180 every year on interest. Get in the habit of paying off your balance in full each month.

2. Overspending on gas and oil for your car. There’s no need to spring for premium fuel if the manufacturer says regular is just fine. You should also check to make sure your tires are optimally inflated to get the best gas mileage. And are you still paying for an oil change every 3,000 miles? Many models nowadays can last 5,000 to 7,000 miles between changes, and some even have built-in sensors to tell you when it’s time to change the oil. Check your manual to find the best time for your car’s routine maintenance.

3. Keeping unhealthy habits. Smoking costs a lot more than just what you pay for a pack of cigarettes. It significantly increases the cost of life and health insurance. And you'll pay more for homeowners and auto insurance. Add in various other expenses, and the true cost of smoking adds up dramatically over a lifetime - $86,000 for a 24-year-old woman over a lifetime and $183,000 for a 24-year-old man over a lifetime, according to The Price of Smoking (The MIT Press).

Another habit to quit: indoor tanning. There is now a 10% tax on indoor tanning services. As with cigarettes, the true cost of tanning - which the World Health Organization lists among the worst-known carcinogens - is higher than just the price you pay each time you go to the salon.

Read on to find out what other budget leaks you should avoid.

Smoking Deaths on the Rise: Here's How to Quit Once and For All

Heather Dale — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:18:59 PDT

Here's a scary new stat to swallow: smoking causes half a million deaths each year in the US, killing slightly more men than women.

For this report, Dr. Brian Rostron, then of the University of California, Berkeley, tracked data that asked 250,000 people if and how much they smoked currently and in the past. The participants were monitored for two to nine years following the initial survey, and by the time it ended in 2006, about 17,000 of them had died. Based on this figure, Rostron calculated that there were an average of about 290,000 smoking-related deaths in men each year between 2002 and 2006 and 230,000 in women - a total of over half a million deaths. Have I got your attention yet? This is an epidemic.

If you are asking yourself, why should I quit now? Quitting can help you live longer and be healthier - no matter how long you've smoked. Just some of the benefits include having a better quality of life, fewer illnesses like the flu and cold, and experiencing lower rates of bronchitis and pneumonia. Here is a full list of the health benefits you'll experience if you quit smoking now.

Keep reading to learn how you can quit smoking.

No Such Thing as "Social Smoking"

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:00:01 PDT

One cigarette a month may not feel like a habit, but it can still get you hooked on nicotine. That's according to a study of adolescent smokers published in Pediatrics, which suggests that teens' experimentation with the occasional cigarette can lead to a lifetime of addiction.

The four-year study started with 1,246 middle school students and found that those who smoked even one cigarette a month were likely to become hooked, suggesting that what feels like mere enjoyment can build into dependence. Kids may become addicted without even realizing it until they turn 18 and can buy their own. Says Joseph DiFranza, who helped author the study:

"What happens is when you first get addicted, one cigarette a month or one cigarette a week is enough to keep your addiction satisfied. But as time goes by, you have to smoke cigarettes more and more frequently. So people may be addicted for more than a year before they feel the need to smoke a cigarette every day."

Approximately one-quarter of the teens studied experienced withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit, just three or more years after starting. This news doesn't surprise me; in fact, it confirms what I've witnessed firsthand. What about you? Did you smoke as a teen or socially then find it hard to stop? I've got seven tips to help you quit if you need a hand.

Avoid Putting On the Pounds When Giving Up the Smokes

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:30:22 PST

With all the health benefits to gain from giving up the smokes, the decision to quit is an easy one, but the follow-through can certainly be a challenge. Cravings brought on by nicotine withdrawal can be intense and one way distract yourself from the desire to light up is to eat, eat, and eat some more. That of course can lead to weight gain, so here are some tips on how to ditch the cancer sticks without busting out of your pants.

First and foremost, focus on quitting and don't worry so much about gaining weight. Smoking is much more of a risk than gaining a few extra pounds, so once you ditch the cigs for good, then worry about how you're going to lose the extra fluff.

To find out how to avoid gaining a hefty amount of weight,

read more. When you quit, you may miss having something in your mouth, which is why many people end up reaching for food to munch on instead. This is a great way to keep your hands and lips busy, just be sure to choose wisely. Crunchy carrot and celery sticks, frozen grapes, cubes of cheese, air-popped popcorn, and even gum will give your mouth something to do without packing in too many calories. You can also go for calorie-free options. Sucking on a straw or toothpick may also satiate that need to have something in your mouth. Instead of sticking to the three-meals-a-day plan, opt for smaller more frequent meals. This will keep hunger at bay, which will make you less likely to reach for unhealthy snacks or overeat. Food choices matter too, and ones that are high in protein and fiber will keep you feeling full longer. Also try to avoid alcohol. Cocktails, beer, and wine tend to be high in calories, and for some people, they trigger the urge to light up. Keep busy with exercise. Smoking breaks take up a lot of time, so replace them with walks around the block or short strength-training sessions including push-ups, squats, and crunches. As little as five minutes of exercise has been shown curb nicotine cravings. Exercise also helps to naturally suppress your appetite, so the more you make exercise a part of your regular schedule, the less hungry you'll feel and the more calories you'll burn. You may also benefit from an alternative therapy when it comes to quitting. Hypnosis, acupuncture, and meditation may be effective tools that help you quit faster. If you have any other tips on how to quit smoking without going up a jeans size, share them in the comment section below.

Why McDonald's May Be Worse Than Marlboros

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:00:13 PST

As far as vices go, smoking has always taken top honors as being the worse thing you can do to yourself. Not anymore. A new study says that obesity is becoming a bigger threat to a person's quality of life than having a cigarette habit.

The results are based on interviews conducted with 3.5 million adults in the United States from 1993-2008 - the largest ongoing health study of its kind. During the 15-year period, the proportion of smokers in the study declined by 18.5 percent, while the proportion of obese adults increased by 85 percent. The study's findings also confirm that obesity causes more illnesses than smoking and that it's a greater contributor to disease and a shorter life expectancy.

Smoking isn't off the hook, though - it's still a major health risk. The study found that there were more smoking-related deaths than those related to obesity. So while being obese will cause a host of illnesses, diseases, and a shorter life expectancy, the greater risk associated with smoking is death. Either way you look at it, it's not good.

If you find yourself in either of these high-risk categories, please use the new year as an excuse to reform your health. Here are some great tips to help you quit smoking and lose the weight and keep it off. Remember that we are totally behind you and here to help!

A Big Blow to Big Tobacco

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:00:00 PDT

On Monday the The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was signed into a law, which is great news for lungs everywhere. So why is the word "family" in the name of the law? This piece of legislation gives the FDA authority to ban tobacco products that appeal to first-time smokers (who are primarily children), like candy-flavored cigarettes. It also bars the use of terms that make cigarettes appear healthier, like "low tar," "light," and "mild." The new law mandates that tobacco companies decrease the nicotine levels in cigarettes as well. Before signing the bill into law, President Obama acknowledged how difficult quitting smoking can be, especially those who start young. He said, "I know because I was one of those teenagers. I know how difficult it can be when you get started at a young age."

Looking to give up cigarettes? Here are some tips on how to quit.