The Better, Stronger, Faster "Stop Smoking Now! Plan"

Simplest plan to quit ever. No scary drugs, minimal expense, healthier you!
This is the method I used to stop smoking and it's a plan that has worked for some of my athletes. I no longer even have cravings and have been tobacco and nicotine free for 4 years! I offer it to readers of my blog as a freebie to help you start on the path to fitness!

1) Every time you want a cigarette do something to get your heart rate up.  Go for a run, do 30 jumping jacks, do 50 squats, etc. (Not only will you quit you'll look sexier instead of gaining weight! Doing something for your fitness when quitting will help reinforce this healthy lifestyle change.)

2) Drink lots of water. Try not to drink flavored pop and flavored waters. This covers up the taste of cigarettes. If your mouth stays clean and your drinking enough water cigarettes will taste NASTY.

3) Get some Listerine strips or some Altoids mints. These things taste goddawful but they make your breath nice and fresh. Popping one in my mouth sucked so bad it created a negative association with smoking if I did it everytime I craved a smoke. It also make you nicer to kiss than smoking. Alternatively you can wear a rubber band on your wrist and snap it to give yourself a tiny jolt of pain.

4) REFUSE TO BUY THEM. if you're any thing like me you hate bumming them from friends and if you don't ever buy them again you can't smoke. You'll have lots more money to spend on healthy things, like a custom training plan with your favorite personal trainer. (me!) It's also great to reward yourself with prizes. Spend the money you save from your first carton on some exercise gear or an outfit!

5) Quitting smoking is a mental thing but it also changes the chemistry of your brain. After a few weeks the worst of the cravings will go. After a month you have broken many of the mental habits. The final piece is paying attention to the triggers that make you want to smoke and acknowledging them. Once you know the triggers it's easier to move past them! Some of my triggers were consuming alcohol, getting into and out of the car and taking breaks at work. Once you learn new healthy habits nothing will be able to stop you!

6) Find a friend to rely on. Ideally it's easier to quit if you have someone to talk to about it who has gone through this before. I encourage new clients to text me whenever necessary while they are recovering from their addictions.

Have other suggestions or ways that have helped you quit? Share your method in the comments below!