Setting Early Resolutions
A new year can be a hectic time in wellness. The phrase “New Year, New Me” is frequently heard, with many setting goals to eat healthier, ditch unhealthy habits and exercise more. Setting goals regarding your health at the start of a new year sounds like a good plan, most of these ambitions do not make it past the first couple of months. So how about setting some early resolutions instead?
Instead of getting swept up in the frenzy of setting New Year’s resolutions, consider making them a little bit earlier. Whilst a new year signifies new beginnings, a reminder of a fresh start, it is not always the right time for everyone to set a goal. One of these goals is quitting smoking.
In the UK, the number of smokers is at its lowest. Today, 14.7% of Brits reportedly smoke regularly. Despite being a historically low figure, a portion of those in that statistic still wishes to kick the habit.
For the smokers who are hoping to quit as part of their New Year’s resolutions, now could be the time to take steps towards making your transition to not smoking a bit easier.
Putting Plans In Place
Cutting out smoking overnight is not something that works for everyone. It can be ineffective, with many craving nicotine and returning to smoking. If you want to quit smoking altogether in the future, consider slowly transitioning into life without nicotine. It could be reducing the number of packs you smoke in a day to just one a day. Then from smoking one pack to only having a certain number of cigarettes. By doing this, it could help you to limit the amount that you smoke in a day. It might be more effective than cutting out nicotine altogether.
In addition to reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke, try shortening the window of time in which you let yourself smoke. For instance, cut out smoking at night before you go to sleep, limit the locations you smoke in and only smoke outside – not in your home or car.
Alternatively, if reducing the number of cigarettes is proving to be challenging, look at other methods. An increasingly popular way to quit smoking has been switching to vapes.
Feel Better About Yourself Before The Festive Period
Smoking can speed up facial ageing, which leads to you developing wrinkles. Quitting smoking, or at least beginning to reduce your nicotine intake, will have noticeable effects. Your nails and teeth are not as discoloured as they once were. You will notice that your clothes have a lingering scent of smoke. It could help you feel a little better about yourself.
For others, they will notice that you no longer smell tobacco after you have smoked. After smoking a cigarette, the smell can linger on your hair, skin, breath and clothes for a long time afterwards. If you are a chain smoker, the smell might hang around longer. Whilst you might not notice it or are unaffected by it, those around you might find it to be an unpleasant smell. When you quit, the smell will no longer be around. Instead, the scent of your chosen fragrance is what others will notice.
After smoking your last cigarette, the changes in your body happen sooner than you might realise. For instance, after 20 minutes, your pulse rate will return to normal. After 8 hours of your last cigarette, the carbon monoxide and nicotine levels in your blood will have reduced by more than half, whilst your oxygen levels will have returned to normal. After 48 hours, the carbon monoxide will have left your body, whilst your lungs will begin to clear out any mucus, as well as other debris. Additionally, there will be no traces of nicotine left in your body, but you will notice an improvement in your ability to smell and taste. Lastly, after 72 hours, your breathing will become easier due to your bronchial tube starting to relax. You will also notice an increase in your energy levels.
All of those changes happen within days of smoking your last cigarette. The changes that occur over the following weeks and months include an improvement in your circulation. Alongside this, you will notice that any breathing problems, coughs or wheezing you have experienced will have improved. After not smoking for a year, your risk of developing heart disease is almost half compared to someone still smoking.
Reap The Benefits Sooner
If you have chosen to vape as your method of quitting smoking, there are many benefits to reap. Most vaping devices are discreet in their size, making them far easier to travel with. Aside from selecting the flavour of the liquids, you have the option of choosing how much nicotine. The ability to choose their nicotine intake has enabled many people to quit smoking.
However, one of the main benefits of switching to vaping from cigarettes is how much you can save. By making the switch earlier, you can begin to save money sooner. It could potentially help to expand your Christmas budget. As you head into the new year, you can do so with extra money behind you, helping you fulfil any other goals you have in mind for 2022.
New Year, New You
Rather than creating your resolutions around quitting smoking for 2022, look into starting a little earlier. By changing your habits now, you can go into the new year already motivated to quit smoking. You will have an idea about what tactics works for you and what doesn’t. In the new year, you can continue to reduce your nicotine intake using the methods that have proven to be the most successful for you so far.
At the end of the year, you may no longer crave nicotine or have smoked for some time. Instead, you can celebrate knowing that you have succeeded in your fulfilling your resolution. Most of all, you will have kicked a habit that you have worked hard to end. Let us know how early resolutions works for you?