It’s one of the most common messages promoted by the wellness industry and their media mouthpieces: smokers must quit immediately.
The truth is, not everyone is ready to quit smoking immediately. That’s okay. It is possible to start forming healthy habits as a smoker. All-or-nothing approaches to health and wellness can be damaging and unsustainable. The “quit today or go to hell” attitude is doing more harm than good.
The approach detailed in this guide is meant for smokers. You can quit smoking down the road if you want, but for now, you’d like to take better care of yourself and improve your overall wellness.
Let’s get to it!
Contents
- Why Small Wins Are the Key to Building Healthy Habits as a Smoker
- Form a Healthier Routine
- Convenience is the Secret to Balance
- Lifestyle Tweaks That Make a Big Impact
- Put Together a Personal Wellness Plan
Why Small Wins Are the Key to Building Healthy Habits as a Smoker
Myth: Smokers do not care about their health.
Fact: This is a complete myth.
The Truth Initiative reports that nearly 70% of smokers say they want to stop. The difference is that there is wanting to quit and being ready to quit.
Cold-turkey quitting is not a realistic prospect for many. The message and the impossible prospect it presents create an all-or-nothing attitude. If you cannot quit, you may as well not make any efforts toward better health at all. But health habits are possible without quitting.
The key is to break down the wellness journey into “small wins.”
Small wins are incremental, positive steps. They don’t require quitting cigarettes, but they do compound over time. The more small wins you rack up, the more your life improves and the more you build toward making larger changes later on.
Form a Healthier Routine
Daily routines are an easy place to start.
Routines are a part of everyone’s day. Altering them is a simple way to add health habits without having to start from scratch. For smokers who rely on a cigarette delivery service or regularly search for cigarettes near me as a time-saving way to keep their stash full, this time and effort is just as well invested in healthier habits.
Healthier daily routines do not require quitting. They require simple additions and slight alterations to what is already done every day.
For instance:
- Take a morning walk. Even a short 10-minute walk after lighting up first thing in the morning can improve energy and mood for the rest of the day.
- Drink more water. Staying hydrated is key to good health and may even mitigate nicotine cravings over time.
- Eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skipping meals leads to unhealthy snacking later. A simple routine of eating a breakfast each morning will help regulate blood sugar and provide a constant supply of energy.
These few simple habits can be the first small wins on the path to forming better health habits as a smoker.
Convenience is the Secret to Balance
Healthy habits are easier when they are convenient.
If something is hard to do, we will put it off. If it is easy, we will do it. This psychological principle applies to smokers as much as it does to anyone else. But with cigarette delivery services, it is easier than ever to keep routines unchanged.
Convenience is the secret to making health habits stick.
The easier it is to make healthy choices, the more likely you will make those choices. Consider the following convenience hacks:
- Meal prep on weekends. Keep easy and healthy meals ready to eat on hand for the week to cut down on the effort required to “eat right.”
- Visible workout clothes. Place your exercise clothes where they are easy to see. Visibility is a great reminder and will also make it easier to throw those clothes on and move.
- Healthy snacks. If your pantry is only stocked with healthy snacks, you will be much more likely to eat those instead of less healthy options.
Balancing convenience with self-care is the key to making health a habit.
Lifestyle Tweaks That Make a Big Impact
The four pillars of good health include: 1) physical activity, 2) a healthy diet, 3) adequate sleep, and 4) stress management.
These four behaviours are reportedly responsible for 70% of all deaths worldwide. Simply addressing one of these four areas makes a significant difference.
Movement should be your first focus.
Movement is more than just weightlifting or high-intensity exercise. Movement means simply increasing the amount of physical activity in your daily life.
Walk more. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park your car further from store entrances. Stand up when talking on the phone.
These micro movements accumulate over time.
Sleep quality is the next important area.
Sleep quality is a factor in every area of health and wellness, from energy levels to stress to weight. Good sleep hygiene, like a regular sleep schedule and wind-down routine, can make a significant difference in sleep quality.
Manage stress, and the stress won’t manage you.
Cigarettes are a common crutch for stress management. The best way to stop using cigarettes to cope with stress is to find better ways to manage it. Simple breathing exercises, even just 1 minute a day, can reduce stress levels and reliance on cigarettes.
Put Together a Personal Wellness Plan
Forming good health habits is a personal journey.
Smokers are not a monolith. Wellness plans must be tailored to individual goals, preferences, and lifestyles. A generic plan is bound to fail sooner rather than later. Don’t let this article (or anyone else) railroad you into a path you don’t feel 100% is right for you. It is your wellness journey.
Instead, use this as a foundation to build your personal wellness plan.
Start with one health area to focus on. This could be physical activity, diet, sleep, or stress management. Pick the one that feels most accessible or important right now.
Set one small, specific goal.
Walking for 15 minutes three times per week is better than “exercising more.” Simple and small goals are more achievable and trackable.
Track your progress.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. A checklist on your phone will do. Find a system that is easy to maintain. But track your progress.
Celebrate your small wins.
Small steps are worth recognizing and celebrating. The dopamine release triggered by these positive emotions is a powerful force for continued habit formation.
Adjust as necessary.
Not every health habit will stick. That is fine. But instead of quitting entirely, adapt and adjust as needed. Changing one thing at a time prevents overwhelm and keeps the momentum going.
Conclusion
Building good health habits as a smoker is not an all-or-nothing game.
It is about incremental progress. The wellness industry’s fearmongering and “just say no” ultimatums are not helpful to anyone.
Small wins are how health habits are built. It is all about compounding progress over time. Taking one step forward at a time is better than never taking a step forward at all.
Smokers can take care of themselves and live healthier lives without quitting cigarettes. These small tweaks and small wins can make a significant difference.
So, which small win will you start with today? That is all it takes.