What About Smoking?

According to the Ministry of Health, smoking is the #1 cause of preventable death in New Zealand - leading to the deaths of an estimated 5,000 people each year. Around a fifth of cancer deaths are from smoking and over half of all smokers die prematurely from the habit – losing, on average, 23 years of life.  Women who smoke have more heart attacks, cancers, oral health problems and lung problems. It can cause early menopause, play a part in osteoporosis and affect fertility. And smoking also ages your skin terribly.

Those shocking facts won’t be news to most people. Yet many women smoke in a misguided bid to curb their appetite and/or reduce weight. I know, because I used to be one of them. And I also know only too well how hard it is to give up. It took me quite a few attempts over the years to stop smoking.

One of the main reasons for my failure to stop smoking was the effect of gaining weight due to over-eating all the wrong things whilst trying to quit. Back then I didn’t understand that it was smoking’s negative impact on my nervous system and circulation that was helping me maintain weight loss. However it was a ‘false’ thinness I was experiencing through poisoning my body with tobacco and then putting on weight when I tried to kick the addiction.

How did I give up eventually?
A combination of one hypnosis session, willpower and inventing the Figure 8 bodychain.
My Figure 8 bodychain helped me immensely, as it let me know if I was putting on weight right then and there and allowed me to make healthier eating choices – for example, replacing sweets and chocolates with carrot and celery sticks - whilst giving up smoking. I will admit that initially I had to take my Figure 8 bodychain out a link but once I had got over wanting to smoke I was able to take that link back in.

Giving up smoking is hard but it is definitely worth it.
I used to get many lung infections like the flu, bronchitis, pleurisy and even pneumonia but not any more. The motivation and strength I gained through quitting cigarette smoking also made it easier for me to adopt other healthy lifestyle changes such as drinking less alcohol, eating more fruit and vegetables and being more physically active. When you give up smoking you breathe better and enjoy exercise more.

To find the method of quitting smoking that works best for you, ask your doctor, your friends or even other people who have given up what worked for them. And remember, if the prospect of weight gain puts you off quitting, you now have your Figure 8 bodychain to help you along the way just one link at a time.

For assistance in kicking the smoking habit go to Ministry of Health,  there are some Government-funded initiatives to help you quit.