People those who are bipolar have cover of sadness and then a short period of manic actions. These can be cured, but those who recognize someone with one mental issue must know how to take care for someone with these situations.

One of the most significant facts while handling with mental health problem is that you should recognize the terrible or unpredictable performance of the disease. When someone is sad and they are not followed any medication, or their medicine is not effective, they could spend many times by crying, or may even speak of ending their life.

This is not the proper way “how they would usually think”, and shouting at them or informing them that they are foolish can lead the things more badly. You should offer love and support to them, and ensure they get the remedial attention that they merit and very much need.

Another feature of helping someone by mental health issues is to appreciate the condition of the diseases. This can assist you to recommend them the accurate type of support. The more you understand them the more you can help them in a better way. Information is always influential, and in this situation, can make an earth of difference when serving someone by mental health problems.

When serving someone with mental health problem, you might have to make few tough choices. There are occasions when even they don’t appreciate what is happening with them, and they might just feel that they are crazy or weak. When they say no for treatment, you might have to get strong with them because if you are giving the right treatment to them, then you can really help then in saving their life.

You should give full support while they are in a treatment because they may feel nervous during this type. You should choose the perfect time to help them and in which way you can help them. To research more about the mental health issue, there are millions of supportive information online. Nevertheless, proper medical consultation with your local doctor is always the best advise and treatment route to take.

If you would like to keep yourself away from any mental health problem you should maintain a joyful disposition, you should exercise regularly and you should include nutritious food in your diet. Moreover, always keep your mind relaxed and do not always worry about the past unpleasant events of your life and do not worry about the future as well. Live the present life joyfully.

If you are facing health problems, then consulting the doctor for remedy will be the proper thing to do. If you are having problems with chronic health problems and you need to get rid from that problem. Then, there are lots of varieties of medication available. But, getting the best one and the proper one is an issue nowadays.

But, having the scientific medication is not always good for you. It is always prone with side-effects for your health. Though, natural way of getting medications is very late to cure the health issue. They will not have any side-effects to mention and also they are good for health.

There are lots of advantages from natural way of getting medications. So it will be very useful, if you go for health care in natural manner. They are another type of method for pain relief from chronic health problems. One among this natural health care is magnetic therapy which lots of people are using to get rid from the pain caused by chronic health issues.

Most of the people may not have heard about this new natural technique called magnetic therapy. Magnetic therapy is the process in which few magnets will be used to cure the pain. Magnets will be placed on certain parts of the body. This method has been implemented centuries ago in places like India, Egypt, and Greece. But has been used very few. But all have been positive results as it is a natural way of treating.

It has been introduced very lately in some of the countries like North America, Europe. This art has been used lots of places and the researches and studies have shown positive results in pain relief. The magnetic therapy provides vast types of illness and there is not even a single report about getting illness or side-effects anywhere.

This is also one of the important reasons why people nowadays are using to get this magnetic therapy to get relived from the pain caused by chronic health issues. This is being the best alternative treatment for chronic health issue.

For all those people, who are suffering from the pain of chronic health issues? Go through the magnetic therapy and get rid from the pain soon.

This is the best treatment for conditions like migraine headaches, anxiety, sinus pain, stress, improvement of immune system, skin allergy and several other medical problems as well. This method is not introduced for replacing any of the presently available techniques of medicine, but it is introduced for helping the people to follow a healthier lifestyle and for enabling them to maintain their overall well-being.

There are about 70 percent of people paying attention to their elders or some other old people and their health issues should also be taken into consideration. Most of the cares giving people are doing it for money as occupation. And most of them are middle aged or old man or women.

Lots of others who love their elders have also changed their working timing so that they can take nice care of their elders with giving them love and care. This will let those elders to live much longer and live peacefully. The love and care provided by the loved ones will make the elder people’s heart lighter and trouble free and so they live much longer. If you show them love, they will share their health issues with you.

There are a few people who hate to take care of the elders and so they let their elder people to the places like old age cottages where only old people will be staying and there will be few maids to take care of them. Some of them fell stressful in keeping care of their elders. They feel that because of these old people they cannot concentrate much on their family or their work.

Most of the women have made changes in their working duration just to give proper care and love to the elder member of their family. Giving care to the elder of our family member will be such a great job.

To be stressful caregivers think about the things which are mentioned below?

Try to concentrate much on rewards which you will be getting for giving care, later and give it back to your most loved one. As a caregiver the relationship of you with the elder person who is getting care from you will be having a strong bond, you will be feeling the need of it and thus giving you some self confidence that you will be feeling like you can do whatever you like.

While giving care to any elderly person follow some of the following points. You be sure that you are giving your best out of what you can. Let them have proper hygiene. Maintain all of their prescriptions full. Provide them proper amount of sleep. Make them have exercises every day, at least for about 45 minutes daily. Help yourself while serving them the best way you can.

This will let you have a better relationship with the senior citizens member of your family. It will make their daily living happy and live rest of their life peacefully under your care.

Do you know there are almost a hundred million American people going to a weight loss diet every year? Yes, almost a hundred million of them. It works, though. About ninety-five percent of them lose weight AND regain it in the next five years. Basically, they lose it now, and get back to their old body five years later. What makes it worse is that a third of them will gain more weight than before.

How could this happen? That’s the danger of following one diet program to another. Your weight loss will up and down like a yo-yo when you switch your weight loss diet program. Following the conventional weight loss diet program or using any weight loss drugs may cause you to gain more weight than you have before, and not to mention several illness of your health.

Read the newspaper today, and you’ll find out there are approximately sixty-five percent of people in America are overweight. Even if they know they need to stay thin, it seems like their body reject it. They start eating unhealthy or greasy foods, and thinking that they will stop tomorrow because tomorrow they will start their new weight loss diet plan. What they don’t realize is that tomorrow never comes. So, they keep repeating the same pattern all over again, and ended up with adopted several health disease such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and so on.

Also, obesity also donated about nineteen percent heart disease that costs about thirty billion dollars per year, and diabetes cases that costs nine billion dollars per year. Don’t doubt it, because this information came from the researchers at Harvard University.

So, how you could fight this obesity problem?

If you have REPEATEDLY fallen head over heels to many weight loss diet plans and programs that promise you to lose several pounds by tomorrow, it is time for you to stop. They bring you no good, and only cause you physical discomfort and a deep disappointment. It’s true you probably lose some weight, but what will you do if you stop it and your body gain more weight than before? Avoid any weight loss diet plan that forces you to eat just one type of food. It’s not healthy for you. A healthy diet is a balanced one that consists of several types of foods. What you want from your diet is the healthy, safe, and a permanent weight loss.

There are so many fad diet plans that you probably ever done before, such as Atkins diet, South Beach Diet, Cabbage Soup diet, the Grapefruit diet, Beverly Hills diet, Breatharian, the Rotation diet, Ornish Plan, and so on. If you really want to do a weight loss diet plan, pick the one that consists of variety of foods, and stick to it.

Give yourself about 6-12 months to follow the same diet pattern, and let your body recognize it. If, and only if, after that time ranges you’re still not lose weight, you could change the diet plan. But do remember; only choose the weight loss diet plan that keep you healthy.

There are many ways to reduce the weight and lead a happy life:

1. Healthy Eating – Having fruits, fresh vegetables and greens will help us to keep our body healthy. Intake should be normal and on time.

2. Doing Exercises and Yoga – Doing exercise is very good on daily basis to keep your body fit. Yoga is one of the best things which will keep you fit and fresh on the whole day.

3. Master Health checkup – Having master health check up on every six months is good to know your health condition and keep you fit.

4. Going for Walk – Walking is one of the best exercises to keep you fit. You should go for walk at least for half an hour daily.

Exercise for Beginners:

There are some easy healthy living ways for the beginners to keep themselves stay active and healthy

1. Walking – Walking is one of the best exercises. Walking doesn’t require any equipment or any extra skill to practice.

2. Cycling – Cycling is another way which helps your muscle to reduce fat content on hips and thighs.

3. Joining Gym – Going for gym too will help you more to reduce the weight.

Consequences due to over weight:

1. Laziness – When you have too much of weight, it will make you more lazy which will not help to do your regular work properly.

2. Getting Diseases – There are many opportunities to get heart attacks, blood pressures, and even complications during pregnancy etc.

Drawbacks of Some Weight Loss Methods:

1. Weight loss through fasting – Fasting will reduce the weight but at the same time you will not have the stamina in your body. It could drag you down and your health condition doesn’t improve.

2. Taking Pills – Some people are very eager in reducing their weight so opt for pills to get slimmer very soon but they never think of consequences behind this. Taking pills and reducing your weight is not really recommended for health.

3. Weight loss through Equipments – people are fond of using the equipment to reduce their tummy e.g. using the belts to reduce tummy. Doing exercise and walking are the way to reduce weight instead talking shortcuts and sufferings.

Health does not mean that you put on weight and become obese. Or it does not mean that you unnecessarily do exercises or control your diet even when you have normal weight. Such activities generate many health problems.

Hygiene factor is also very important in health care ; a person who takes maintains cleanliness of his/her body and household has low chances of becoming ill. A person who has abnormally low weight may develop cancer malignancies as well as suffer frequent infections due to weak immune system.

The activities which increase the metabolism in the body must be adopted. The diet must be planned according to the physical condition you have. The person who can manage stress generating situation can prevent many diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attacks.

Health care also includes the methods by which one protects and cures his diseases and infections. For this the role of health experts and doctors is highly important. One must seek the remedies for the disease and follow the instructions strictly in order to regain health. Mental and physical health must be maintained by utilizing all possible means as only a healthy person can contribute to the functioning of the smooth society.

It is the prime duty of a state to arrange for health care facilities for all of its citizens without concern for their social classes. Needy people must be provided with free medical treatments so they can allocate their low income on other social concerns.

Drinking lots of water would also keep your hunger down. It is known that drinking lots of water is one of the important tools to reduce weight, it would also fill stomach. Consumption of protein consisting food would certainly help you not being hungry quite often, because digestion of proteins takes longer than the carbohydrates and this would not have a major impact on blood sugar level and keep your tummy full.

There are few items which you may want to know which has high proteins which you may want to intake while in the process of your weight control quest and they are mentioned below:

Note: Too much of proteins would place load on the kidney which would lead to other diseases.

• Most of the fruits and vegetables has high proteins which you can consume and if you notice these days these information is basically mentioned on the packages of vegetables and fruits of the quantity of proteins and others it carries.
• Dark meat mostly on the thigh of chickens consists fats, however the other part of the chicken the white meat and also the turkey breast consists good amount of proteins
• Seafood also consists good amount of proteins which can be eaten for good diet.
• Egg is also a source of proteins.
• Dairy products such as yogurt, milk provides proteins, however you may want to limit the quantity taken because it consists fats as well.
• You can also look out for protein bars and protein shakes which is healthy and an alternate for keeping your hunger at bay.

Snacks like bread or even an apple can be consumed when you are hungry as this would not just keep your hunger away but it would also help your maintain diet.

Now that you’ve quit, you may feel that something’s missing, and this feeling may be linked to the times and situations in which you used to smoke. Some of the extra snacking you may be doing might also be linked to feeling sad, frustrated, or stressed. Many people, whether they have ever smoked or not, tend to eat more when they feel low, jittery, or nervous.

As tough as some of these roadblocks are, there are ways to get past them. How? By planning ahead! We will ask you to identify your roadblocks to healthy eating that are specifically related to having recently quit smoking. Later on, we’ll deal with some more general roadblocks to healthy eating. For now, let’s focus on keeping you off cigarettes and making sure you are keeping your eating in check.

Key to Overcoming Roadblocks, Anticipation and Cleverness

In other part, there has been discussion about the importance of anticipating roadblocks and temptations as the key to managing or avoiding them. From your experience over the last few days tracking your eating habits, try to think about what challenges may lay ahead for you. If you anticipate and think cleverly about ways you can cope with your challenges, you should be able to get past them.

Below are some of the most common roadblocks for ex-smokers trying to make healthy eating choices. Tips follow for how to get past each one. Even if some of these don’t apply to you, you can still use the tips as starting points for your own strategies.

- Roadblock: Increased feelings of hunger and overeating.

“After quitting, I started feeling hungry more often and tended to eat more, especially at those times when I used to smoke.”

How to Get Past It: Know if you are really hungry. Slow down. Eat balanced meals.

Knowing If You are Really Hungry. A point to ponder as you work on making healthy eating choices is the difference between hunger and appetite. Hunger is based on your body’s need for food to give it energy. Appetite, on the other hand, is when you eat based on your emotions or other factors like time of day. Sometimes our body gives us signs of physical hunger, such as a rumbling stomach or fatigue or irritability.

But other times, the sights and smells around us trigger us to eat, even though we really aren’t hungry. Do you notice any patterns in your food diary? Maybe you tended to eat when you were frustrated or stressed. Maybe you ate more when you were bored and irritable. People commonly lose control over their eating at these times and frequently overeat or eat when they aren’t really hungry. Your eating style is part of a system of habits just as your smoking habit was. Sometimes these habits have become so ingrained that we don’t even realize what we are doing.

Next time you open the refrigerator for foods, ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I really hungry ?
• When was the last time I ate ?
• Would a snack do, or do I need a full meal ?

Make a list of five tasks you’ll do before eating anything to see if you are really hungry, you may not want a snack when you are done. For example, try taking a quick (2- or I 5-minute) walk (or longer), wash your face, stretch for a couple of minutes, file or paint your nails, or call a friend.

Slowing Yourself Down. In addition to considering whether you are really hungry before you eat, you may also want to find ways to slow down while in the process of eating. Try to chew your food more slowly. Try drinking water throughout each meal. It will slow you down and fill you up. Even after dinner, don’t linger at the table, get up and clean the kitchen or get indulged in some physical activity. Small steps like this will help you a lot.

Support can be found in your family, but not only there. Coworkers, friends, members of your social club, or church are all people you can recruit to be on your support team. When it comes to motivation and how others can help, it is clearly up to you.

Some may want a celebration, others a simple pat on the back, and still others singing telegrams. Examine what will work for you and then let the significant people in your life know about it. Tell them how important quitting is to you and how you are counting on their help.

Nobody can quit for you, but they surely can cooperate with you. Ask your friends who smoke not to offer you a cigarette and, at least in those most challenging times, not to smoke around you. You can even put this in writing in the form of a “contract” or provide them with information and resource materials, such as the American Lung Association’s brochure on “How to Help a Friend Quit Smoking.”

You may also want to ask a close friend or two to act as your accountability partner or quitting “coach.” Having a coach to work with you can get you through difficult times. You could ask your coach to call and check in with you. A few words of encouragement could be what you need if you start to feel discouraged. A phone call can also help you fight a craving. After a few minutes on the phone, the urge to smoke is likely to pass.

Key Point: Nobody can read another’s mind, unless you say what you want, your friends and family may do the wrong thing when trying to be helpful. They may ask you how quitting smoking is going when you don’t want to talk about it or tell you to “look on the bright side” when all you want is to talk about how much you miss cigarettes. Tell them how you need them to help. Remember quitting smoking is much easier if you have got help.

Scientists have found that smokers generally weigh less than nonsmokers. Smoking may affect the amount and the types of food that people eat and how their body processes food, causing smokers to have a lower body weight. One of the physical reasons some people gain weight when they quit is because of changes in metabolism. Your metabolic rate is related to how your body burns calories. It regulates the processes by which your body gets its energy from food, which is vital to its overall function.

Smoking speeds up your metabolism. Here’s how it works: Nicotine, just one of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, stimulates the central nervous system and other organs. In doing so, it increases the amount of energy you use up. Smoking increases your metabolic rate, so that you burn more calories. When you quit, your metabolic rate slows down to what it was before you started to smoke.

For the typical smoker trying to quit, changes in metabolism may result in a weight gain of 2 or 3 pounds. However, it is the increase in eating, particularly foods high in fat or sugar, that results in most of the weight gain that people experience. The good news is that we can help you with your physical activity and food choices to avoid or minimize this kind of weight gain.

One of the most effective ways to manage your weight after quitting is to increase your level of physical activity. Exercise increases metabolism, and even moderate levels of activity can help you burn fat and improve your overall health. Exercise also improves mood, so increases in physical activity such as walking, swimming, doing yard work or even taking the stairs instead of the- elevator in your workplace can help you stay positive and assist you in the quitting smoking process.

Often raising your level of activity can make a real difference. For example, one study we conducted showed that participating in a regular physical activity program reduced weight gain after quitting and actually increased the chances of quitting successfully. Another study showed that women who report little recreational physical activity have a greater chance of gaining weight after quitting than more active women do.

This is something you can work on before, during, and after you start to quit. Making small adjustments in your lifestyle will accelerate your progress toward your goal of better health, a longer life, and more energy to enjoy it. This way, physical activity can more easily become a part of your daily life and help keep you healthy and smoke-free.

Changes in Eating Style

Healthy eating habits play a key role in maintaining your weight or minimizing weight gain when you quit smoking. Sometimes people gain weight after quitting because of poor eating choices. That is, they simply eat more food, or eat foods that have a lot of fat or sugar. Without the foul taste of cigarettes in your mouth, food may taste and smell better, which could lead to extra helpings at the dinner table. You may also be prone to eating more between meals.

Snacking can easily become a substitute for smoking or a way of coping with cravings or stress. Current research indicates that while quitting, many smokers develop cravings for sweet foods, which may be high in calories, fat, and sugar. In fact, some scientists dunk that nicotine affects the level of blood sugar in the body so that nicotine withdrawal triggers an increased craving for sweet foods.

This includes learning how to eat in moderation and how to eat a variety of healthy foods that will give your body the fuel it needs. You may find that within two to three weeks after you stop smoking, the sharpest nicotine cravings will fade and you will have already started to develop healthy eating habits that can benefit you for the rest of your life.

You can replace a cigarette with healthy snacks and beverages to battle the urge to smoke. Just like smoking, eating is a habit too; no doubt you’ve become accustomed to eating certain foods. Some foods (chocolate, for example) are high in fat, sugar, and calories. So make sure that you’re well aware of the foods you eat and the beverages you drink so that your calories don’t creep up during the day.

There are no forbidden foods in a healthy eating plan, but some foods you will want to eat often, while others should be saved for special occasions. With this plan, there are no fads, crash diets, or fancy gourmet meals that take hours to prepare. Just sound, nutritional diet to help you quit smoking and manage your weight in the process.

If you determined that you are ready to get going, set a couple of realistic goals for yourself. The important thing is that you don’t rush in too quickly and set yourself up for failure. Staying off cigarettes is a tough thing to do, and for starters, we want you to use physical activity to help you accomplish this goal.

Look at your time study. For some of those moments of inactivity, try to fill in ways to be more active. For example, if you find yourself sitting at your desk during the day, make a point of getting up once in a while and taking a walk across the office. If you find yourself sitting in front of the TV, try to get up during each commercial break and walk around the house. Or you can try some of the quick activities if you feel that you can do more.

Moderate-Intensity Activities

Regular, vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day can positively affect your health, especially your weight. Our research has shown, however, that doing moderate-intensity physical activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes and totaling at least 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week or more can help with weight management and physical fitness.

If you don’t have a 30-minute block of time to be physically active, you can enjoy some of the same benefits by breaking up your physical activity and doing some at different times during the day. If you are struggling to find the time, try fitting in three or four 10 or 15 minute brisk walks throughout the day.

Just deciding to quit, no matter how determined you are, does not always mean you’ll succeed. Statistics show that most initial decisions to quit smoking are usually followed by periods of relapse. But this does not have to happen to you. With a little planning, you can avoid some of the pitfalls.

Think of it this way: quitting smoking is like building a house, its stability really depends on the foundation you lay. Physical activity, healthy eating, a nurturing support network, and a solid plan of action are your building blocks, not only for your success in quitting smoking but in developing a healthy lifestyle.

When preparing to quit smoking, two things should be kept in mind: first, quitting is not an event. It is a process. Whether you have tried to quit before or are doing so for the first time, quitting smoking requires commitment on your part. Commitment does not mean rushing toward your goal, but rather, taking the time to figure out a plan you will be able to stick to in order to achieve your goal.

Second, although time frames are important in managing your quitting process, they should not be too rigid. The procedure one follows to quit smoking may not be suitable for another; it might carry a high potential for failure, which may only leave you frustrated.

This means taking your time when you decide to quit smoking, but make sure you get rid of the smoking habit. Remember that doing it right means doing what’s right for you. No two people are the same and plans to quit smoking should fit your everyday activities, not disrupt them.

Here is a list of common excuses people use to get out of making physical activity a part of their lives:

I don’t have the time

Time is one of the main things people identify as a roadblock to physical activity. You may feel that your day is already too full, and fitting in physical activity is impossible or would be a major challenge. We will help you use your time study to help you find ways to fit some physical activity into your day, such as climbing the stairs at work or taking 2- or 5-minute walks, perhaps instead of having that cigarette at your coffee break.

Think about what would happen if for every cigarette you would have had in the course of a day, you decided to take a walk instead. You’d be much more active. Remember, you don’t have to find a single 30 or 45-minute block of time to exercise, those smaller bouts add up.

I’m just too tired to exercise right now

Being active can actually give you more energy. Physical activity increases your blood flow and can make you feel upbeat and alert. The more active you are, the more you will increase your stamina. This is especially important for you at this stage because you might feel some fatigue in the first few weeks after you’ve quit smoking. When you feel tired, try to push yourself a little, you won’t regret it.

I don’t have exercise equipment and can’t afford a gym membership

Physical activity does not require gym memberships or expensive classes. It can be done in the settings of your daily life, at home, in the office, or just about anywhere. Some people like to do their physical activity in front of the TV or while listening to music. A great thing about working physical activity into your routines is that you will be setting a wonderful example for the rest of your family. Once they see how great you’re doing, they may even want to join you.

I don’t know how to exercise

You don’t need to be an expert to work more activity into your life. You just need to be willing to try. We will help you find ways to transform moments of inactivity, in which you are sitting or not moving around, into more active ones.

The weather is bad (too hot or too cold)

Don’t let bad weather stand in your way. If it’s too hot or too cold to walk outside, you can always do some heavy housework or take a few trips up and down the stairs. Many towns have shopping malls with special hours for walkers. Mall walking can be a safe and climate-controlled place to walk year-round.

Swimming is great for those really hot days, but if you think that is too vigorous an activity for you right now, just walking a couple of laps around the pool can get the blood pumping. On cold winter days, take the kids sledding, walking in the snow is an excellent workout and a couple of trips up the slope can really get your heart rate going.

This diet advocates going back to basics, to the way people used to eat in the past. It tries to combat the modern illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes by changing the way we eat and exercise.

In order to combat heart disease we need to cut down on cholesterol, therefore this diet limits the intake of fat to about 10% of what we eat. In order to combat diabetes and the spike in insulin caused by sugar laden foods we should avoid that as well. Going to the basics means we have to spend more calories than we take in, and it can be achieved by eating a lot of fiber, vegetables, fruit, lean meat and plenty of water.

The diet recommends eating three meals a day plus a few (at least two) snacks in between meals to avoid hunger and the binging that goes with it. Since fat is the substance that makes us feel full and it is to be avoided, you will have to know the caloric content of foods and combine high calorie with low calorie food to produce a meal that is overall light in calories. It also recommends avoiding salt which is known for raising blood pressure.

Together with this strict diet a daily exercise is recommended – at least 30 minutes a day, and reduction of stress by way of meditation.
Since such a regiment is not easy to follow, Pritikin has centers in different cities that are called Longevity Centers. There, for about two weeks, you will be given the correct foods, you will exercise and you will hear lectures and see movies about the terrible affects fat and sugars have on our bodies.

Research has shown that people coming out of those centers have lowered their cholesterol dramatically and people with type 2 diabetes have reversed the effects of the condition and even those who were using insulin injections did not need them anymore.

The problem with this diet is that it is not easy to maintain. Knowing the calorie levels of different foods, avoiding “comfort foods” heavy in fat, exercising every day are not easily maintainable. That is why the company has come out with a line of foods, dry and canned, to help you keep with the program past the Longevity Center stage.

If you smoke more than a pack a day, you may want to consider using nicotine gum or patches, or discuss other prescription medications with your doctor. If you plan to use a quit aid such as nicotine gum or patches, you can find them in most drug stores or large supermarkets with drug departments.

Be sure to carefully follow the directions on the packaging, and if you plan to use nicotine gum, make sure to avoid eating and drinking for at least 15 minutes before chewing it and an additional 15 minutes while chewing it to prevent reduced absorption of the nicotine. Especially avoid drinking acidic beverages, such as coffee or soft drinks that can interfere with the efficacy of the gum.

Get Rid of Your Cigarettes

Before your Quit Day, throw away all of the cigarettes in your home or anywhere else you may have a stash: in the pocket of your coat, in the car, or in the office. Do the same with lighters, ashtrays and matches. Make it impossible to get a cigarette without going to a lot of trouble.

Stock up on Healthy Snacks

Eating healthy snacks is a great way to get you through your Quit Day and satisfy the craving to smoke. Place a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table and stock your cupboard with some low-calorie, easy-to-grab foods. Having healthy snacks around the house and your workspace can help when you need something to satisfy your urge to smoke. Below are some suggestions for healthy snack foods to stock up on before your Quit Day:

Beverages:

- Low-calorie beverages, such as sugar-free iced tea, sodas, and flavored waters.

Produce

-Your favorite (raw) vegetables. Carrots, celery, cauliflower, and peppers are great snacks; try them with low-fat dressing or cottage cheese.

-Fruits: apples to eat on your way to work or for baking with cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar. Buy ingredients for fruit salad or delicious smoothies, using peaches, plums, pineapple (fresh or canned), pears, cantaloupe, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries ( which are rich in vitamin too ) ! Don’t forget to look in the frozen food aisle at the store because you’ll be able to find an assortment of frozen fruits that are great to eat cold.

Non-Perishables:

The snack and cereal aisles can offer some sweet and crunchy alternatives such as low-calorie fruit bars and fig bars, oven-baked chips and pretzels, air-popped or low-fat popcorn. Mso try wheat or graham crackers, rice cakes, ready-to-eat cereal (to munch on, without milk), or shredded wheat. Buy sugarless gum or candy to keep around the office or in your purse, briefcase, or backpack.

Frozen Foods:

Frozen fruit bars, sugar-free popsicles, and low- or non-fat frozen yogurt are great desserts or in-between meal treats.

Dairy:

Buy 1% or skim milk (mix with cocoa for sweetness if you like) and low-fat cheese sticks (string cheese) .

DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF
While eating fruits, carrot sticks, or other healthy foods is an excellent replacement for smoking, sometimes a piece of it just doesn’t satisfy and ifs that piece of chocolate that you really crave. If a piece of chocolate will keep you from reaching for a cigarette, then so be it. Just be sure that if you are going to eat some of the more fattening or high-calorie foods, you do so in moderation.

You don’t have to deny yourself food, but keep in mind that the foods you’re craving may be high in calories. Try eating an apple or a celery stick to satisfy most of your cravings, and reserve a piece of chocolate for the really tough craving. If you tend to snack on chips, replace them with baked chips or pretzels or other low fats yet delicious meal.

Nicotine can have different effects at different times, and most experienced smokers are pretty good at getting all of them. It can act as an “upper” and speed up many body reactions. Or it can act as a “downer” and reduce anxiety. How it works depends on several factors, the amount of nicotine in the body, the time passed since the last cigarette, stress level, and time of day.

Early in the day nicotine acts as a stimulant to many people. Later in the day it seems to act more as a sedative and helps people to relax. Nicotine also alters a person’s mood in this way; it helps smokers cope with low moods or sadness.

The fact that smoking may raise one’s mood, reduce anxiety, and even, increase alertness makes it all the more attractive. That’s why people who are under stress or feel nervous or bored often are at greater risk of becoming addicted to nicotine. What may be the most troublesome part of all of this is the fact that cigarettes are ideal ways of getting nicotine to people.

It only takes 7 seconds from the time you inhale to the time nicotine hits your brain. That’s why that first puff after a long movie feels so good. Physical activity is a great substitute for smoking in this regard. With it, you can reduce tension, raise your mood and help fight depression and anxiety without putting your health and well being at risk.

The habitual nature of smoking also contributes to the difficulty of quitting. Smokers get hooked on the taste, smell, and feel of cigarettes. They link smoking with many activities. Some people like to smoke when they are talking on the telephone or having a cup of coffee. Other people like to smoke at parties or when they are relaxing at home. The person who has smoked a pack a day for 20 years, would have inhaled the toxic gases over a million times (7 puffs per cigarette x 20 cigarettes a day x 365 days a year x 20 years = 1,022,000). The combination of nicotine addiction and these kinds of strong mental links makes smoking a tough habit to break.

Smoking is used by many people as a way of coping with life’s pressures, and nicotine withdrawal can increase your anxiety and stress. After quitting, many people turn to food to relieve feelings of anxiety and develop unhealthy eating habits. By coupling quitting smoking with eating balanced meals and healthy snacks, you can start to break the links between feelings of anxiety and use of both foods and cigarettes for comfort. Walking and other forms of physical activity can relieve stress, can help you sleep better, and can have an overall calming effect. And, in addition to physical activity and making healthy eating choices, there is a broad range of techniques to help you quit, including nicotine replacement, other medicines, and group smoking cessation programs to help you.

Or maybe you’ve tried to start being more physically active, but simply couldn’t find the time. We can show you how to get past these kinds of barriers by planning ahead and finding ways to fit a brisk walk into your day, maybe even after dinner when you feel the temptation to smoke.

Planning ahead includes a close look at your reasons for wanting to make certain changes in your life. You may be concerned about your health and the dangers of smoking but are worried that you will gain weight if you quit. You may want to eat more balanced meals, but think they will take too much time to prepare. The process of identifying your reasons for wanting to change can help you see the difference between the things you can control and those you cannot.

Sometimes, the biggest obstacle to any kind of change is self-doubt, worrying about how hard it may be or making excuses for why it can’t happen now. Realizing your reasons for wanting to make changes in your life may be what convinces you to stop smoking and make other healthy decisions. And if you’re not sure how to begin to change your routine, we will take you through some exercises that can help get you on the right track.

Planning ahead also means looking at parts of your everyday life that might make it difficult to stop smoking. Habits become part of our daily routines and many times we don’t even realize we’ve developed them, which makes them difficult to break. The solution is to first recognize them. Understanding your eating habits, for example, knowing when you tend to overeat and how you feel when you do, can highlight opportunities for change. Being aware of the obstacles in your daily life will help you find ways around them or replace them with healthier choices.

For example, you can cope with cigarette cravings by eating healthy snack foods, such as fruit popsicles, graham crackers, or low-fat yogurts. The next time you are tempted to devour a bag of potato chips, you can decide ahead of time that you will stop and take a brisk walk before eating even one chip. In all likelihood you won’t go back to the chips because the craving will have passed. Managing your cravings is an important element of quitting smoking, and you can do it, as long as you plan ahead.

Barriers can also be overcome by simply removing temptations from your physical environment. Getting rid of the cigarettes and ashtrays in your home or office is an absolute must for avoiding the temptation to smoke. If you want to start increasing your level of physical activity, clear a corner of the living room where you can stretch, do breathing exercises or put that exercise equipment that has been gathering dust in the basement. Friends, family and co-workers can also help get you through the tough times, even those who are not very supportive at first. Start by informing everyone you know that you want to quit. People who don’t smoke will be happy to hear it and the smokers in your life will likely respect your choice. They may even want to try it themselves.

Planning healthy meals with friends, taking a yoga or dance class, playing soccer with the kids are all ways that you can fill the time you may have spent smoking with fun activities that are also good for your health. A nurturing and supportive environment to help kick start your health journey is a valuable asset when trying to make tough changes. We’ll give you some advice on how to gain the support of your friends and family if you aren’t sure where to begin.

We will go further into the process of identifying your obstacles to success and providing simple, practical tips for how to get past them. Rewards are a big part of the plan and give you something to look forward to. Each time you get past a hurdle or reach a milestone, celebrate your success by buying that new pair of shoes you always wanted, going out to the movies, or letting yourself sleep in for a change.

Many people tend to smoke at specific times during the day or reach for a cigarette in stressful times or when feeling low. The same goes for eating and physical activity. Some people overeat when they are nervous or don’t go to the gym because they feel too depressed. In fact, smoking, physical activity, and eating style are often part of the same system of habits.

The three tend to work off each other and links between certain behaviors can be very strong and difficult to undo. But it is also for this reason that physical activity and healthy eating practices can help you kick your smoking habit.

Here is an example: Many smokers like to have a cigarette after a meal. Then, when they quit, they use food as a substitute for smoking and often gain weight as a result. But finding healthier food substitutes, such as an apple or frozen yogurt instead of ice cream after dinner can help you get through the cravings and avoid gaining extra weight.

Did you know that smoking can decrease your stamina for physical activity? You may have felt this the last time you tried to go for a jog or climbed a steep set of stairs. But increasing your level of activity in even the simplest ways can build your stamina back up. And believe it or not, being more physically active can also help curb your cigarette cravings.

There are several ways to cope with the stressful effects of quitting smoking and managing your weight. Managing your stress, as well as your down time, can be achieved through relaxation exercises, deep breathing, and of course, physical activity and healthy eating. We will give you many tips on how to substitute more healthy behaviors for smoking. Think of these as your instruments for an exciting new experiment. Routines could get boring, but it is an opportunity to test different ways of making your daily life more dynamic.

People who smoke now have to stand outside to get their fix. In addition, many states have instituted high taxes on cigarettes in an attempt to discourage smoking, thereby increasing the cost of that nicotine. For example, a pack a day in many states costs roughly $2,500 per year, more than enough for a health club membership and maybe even a personal trainer or a great vacation.

The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control: 2003 is a great resource for finding out about the tobacco control laws in your state. It can be accessed via the American Lung Associations website at www.lungusa.org under “tobacco control.” The site also provides information about new research on state tobacco laws, which has shown that high taxes and bans have indeed been effective in getting people to quit smoking.

Despite the fact that fewer people are smoking, the cost to society is still very high. Smoking costs the nation over $150 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity from missing days at work. Personally, it could cost you your life, which is why you should quit today.

The good news: there are ways to quit smoking and stay smoke-free. Making healthy food choices and incorporating physical activity in your daily routines are central themes with us because they can help you avoid gaining weight or minimize the amount of weight you gain. They are also a vital part of developing a healthy lifestyle.

Physical activity and healthy eating go hand in hand and are well-known ways to prevent cancer and coronary heart disease, the primary causes of death in the United States. Physical activity and healthy eating reinforce each other, and can also reinforce your decision to quit smoking. Within a year of quitting you will reduce your chances of getting heart disease by as much as half. But the way in which you quit, by using physical activity arid healthy eating to help you in the process, also significantly lowers health risks, including heart disease.

We understand that quitting is a difficult process and that it takes time. If you aren’t quite ready, we will help you get there and we hope you are proud of yourself. This is a huge step forward in the likelihood that you will one day be an ex-smoker.