Following last month’s National Cholesterol Education Month, where we take step towards learning about the importance of good cholesterol health and understanding the role it plays in our world today; this month we are acknowledging Stoptober. Nearly 1 million people have taken part since its advent in 2012. NHS led, people vow to stop smoking for 28 days in hopes of rejuvenating their health and perhaps acting as a domino effect for quitting during the proceeding months ahead. Research shows that if you stop smoking for 28 days then you are 5 times more likely to quit full time. We would like to provide a post for people looking to support and encourage their friends and/or family to quit smoking. If you are a personal trainer or just someone health conscious, helping others improve their health is probably very important to you, so here are 5 ways to encourage others to quit smoking this month. Enjoy!
5. SIGN THEM UP TO THE GYM
Some people underestimate the effect of signing up to the gym on our social habits. A member signing up to a new gym is a like teen heading off to college, you are starting a new life. Trainers can relate when we say the biggest life changes are a result of just signing up let alone actually working out, you’ll find a lot people will cut out bad eating habits, laziness and in some cases smoking, just to make their journey towards fitness more exciting, thrilling and effective. Sign them up to a gym and you might see a wonderful ripple effect in their lives.
4. QUIT SOMETHING WITH THEM
It’s all well and good telling someone what’s best, but if you are lacking in an area just as equal, then you are no better. The best way you can support someone when quitting smoking is to give up a bad habit you know is just as harmful to you as smoking is to them (assuming you don’t smoke too). Find a vice you know is detrimental to your life and quit for a month with them, the feeling of someone embarking on a journey with you is very good for morale and can make the journey much easier than doing it alone for some. Who knows, you might quit forever.
3. SIGN THEM UP TO A PERSONAL TRAINER
As mentioned above, signing up to the gym can be a great way to encourage a new outlook on life for someone, but to take it one step further, why not sign them up to a personal trainer. Trainers at FFUK, during their level 3 course training, are tested on their knowledge of good cardiovascular health and cover topics such as alcohol consumption and smoking, therefore they will have a good understanding of how to support a client who is quitting smoking. Everyone is familiar with the concept of yo-yo dieting (bouncing back and forth off a healthy diet) well the same concept applies to the gym. A trainer, however, can help keep you on track and maybe help by giving mental support during the middle and end of the month where their mental drive is low and cravings are high.
2. OFFER ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS TO DE-STRESS
Some smokers participate in the activity to relieve stress and going cold turkey can be a very difficult drastic change to their comfort zone. This is why offering an alternative de-stressor is very important, here are some alternatives:
- A long walk
- Yoga
- Sauna/steam room
- Comedy club
- Hiking
1. BE PATIENT
Like with anything in fitness, it takes time. Nothing great comes in one day and for some, it can take much longer than a month to quit, but nonetheless, we must appreciate the efforts along the way. Be patient with whoever you are supporting and avoid being too vigilant, this can actually have an opposite effect and make the person more resilient to quitting. A great quote to remember is “success is not final and failure is not fatal”.
If you found this post insightful, why not check out some of our previous posts on our blog page or if you are interested in becoming a qualified personal trainer check out our main page for course information and if you have any questions feel free to email us at info@focusfitnessuk.com.
Written by Daniyal Siddiqui.