Advice for taking care of your physical health

This information is designed to help people to adopt a healthier lifestyle through taking some simple steps. It includes why changes should be made and the support available to help achieve it. Here we are looking at smoking.

Giving up smoking at any age, no matter how long you have been a smoker, is the most beneficial thing you could do to improve your health and your family’s health. Smoking exacerbates the impact of coronavirus. Taking steps to reduce or stop smoking will offer many health benefits, including improving lung function over time and reducing the risk of lung infections like bronchitis and pneumonia.

Currently around 78,000 people die from smoking each year and around 485,000 hospital admissions related to smoking annually in the UK. In Hinckley and Bosworth around 15% currently smoke and statistics show that around half will die as a result of smoking related illness or disease. 

Another important aspect of smoking is the effect it has on children and young people. Those that live in a household where there are other smokers are three times more likely to become regular smokers themselves. 

Here are a few simple tips to help you quit:

• Think positive - you might have tried to quit smoking before and not managed it, but don't let that put you off. Look back at the things your experience has taught you and think about how you're really going to do it this time
• Make a plan to quit smoking - make a promise, set a date and stick to it. Think ahead to times when it might be difficult (a party, for instance), and plan your actions in advance
• Identify when you crave cigarettes - a craving can last for five minutes. Before you give up, make a list of five minute strategies such as play your favourite song and dance to it
• Get some stop smoking support - if friends or family members want to give up, too, suggest to them that you give up together
• Get moving - even a five-minute walk or stretch, cuts cravings and may help your brain produce anti-craving chemicals and read it when you need support

Did you know that you're up to four times more likely to quit successfully with their expert help and advice? You can call Quit Ready on 0345 6466666 or text ‘Ready’ to 66777.

Last updated: 15/03/2023 15:10