Healthy Monday Initiative
Started by the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, the Healthy Monday campaign puts focus on bringing organizations together with the common goal of helping us achieve and sustain a healthy lifestyle. Healthy Monday encourages us to think of every Monday as a day that we can begin work anew on goals that we have for ourselves.
If at first you don't succeed ... try, try again.
How many times have you made a serious commitment to quit smoking? More than likely, the answer is less than you can count on 10 fingers. Most long-term smokers think about quitting all of the time but rarely go beyond thought to action. In fact, statistics tell us that approximately 70 out of 100 people who smoke want to stop but go on puffing, day in and day out, seemingly powerless to quit.
Why?
In great part, the answer lies in the insidious nature of nicotine addiction. Over time, the habit of smoking weaves its way through all of the activities in our lives, and we come to think we can't be happy or productive without cigarettes. We tell ourselves that we'll quit next week, next month, by the end of the year... definitely before we do permanent damage. All the while, time marches on and we are no closer to quitting than we were last week, last month or last year. Nicotine addiction has a way of overpowering good judgement and twisting an otherwise rational person's priorities way out of whack.
Healthy Monday and Smoking Cessation
By choosing Monday as your preferred quit date, you are building 52 opportunities into your year to commit to quitting smoking and celebrating your progress as you move ahead with your quit program. No longer will you be stuck in the limbo of indecision when thinking about smoking cessation. Your fresh start comes around once every seven days. Not a bad deal!Quit Smoking Monday Messages
As a proud participant of the Healthy Monday initiative, About.com Smoking Cessation uses Monday to bring you quit tips and motivational messages geared toward helping you construct the quit program that lasts a lifetime.The Value of Support When You Quit Smoking
Your commitment to quit smoking permanently will be much easier to sustain if you have strong, positive support around you. That assistance is available at the Smoking Cessation Forum here at About.com; an active community of people who are at all stages of smoking cessation. Stop in and do some reading, and you'll quickly see why this forum turns out so many success stories.Take The Monday Pledge
Every Monday, forum members pledge N.O.P.E, and commit to their quit programs with fresh resolve. This reinforcement helps everyone -- those who are just getting started with smoking cessation and those who are further along on the road to recovery from nicotine addiction. If you'd like to join in and put smoking behind you once and for all, please register (free) and take the Monday Pledge with us. We'd love to have you!The Healthy Monday Newsletter
Once you gain a little momentum with your quit program, use the Monday concept as a springboard for other healthful habits you want to incorporate into your life as well. About.com has developed a weekly newsletter devoted to helping us improve our health one Monday at a time. When you subscribe, you'll receive tips and practical advice from Guides across the About.com network on a variety of topics. And best of all, it costs you nothing other than the time it takes to read it.You Can Quit Smoking
We all have the ability to quit smoking successfully, and we all deserve a life that is free of addiction. Honor your life by choosing Monday as the day to start and reinforce your quit program. And you know ... there's a Monday just around the corner. Gather some quit smoking supplies, surround yourself with a good support network and get started.You can quit smoking ... and we’re here to help you, one simple Monday at a time.
