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Lemar becomes Ambassador for No Smoking Day
Soul star Lemar has become an Ambassador for the charity No Smoking Day.
Thanks to his mother's strongly held opposition to smoking Lemar has never taken up the habit, and is all too aware of the damage that smoking causes to people's lives. That is why he has welcomed the opportunity to support one of the UK's leading health campaign for smokers who want to quit - No Smoking Day.
No Smoking Day 2010 takes place on Wednesday 10 March and is the 28th annual campaign. Each year, nearly one million smokers quit on the Day.
Lemar said: "The campaign message is 'Break Free'. If, by supporting No Smoking Day, I can help one person to break free from the chains of their smoking addiction, then I believe that my role as an Ambassador will have been worthwhile. I feel that No Smoking Day is the perfect opportunity to provide hope and help to smokers in a non-judgemental way - I'm proud to be a supporter."
Duncan Bannatyne OBE, President of No Smoking Day, commented: "We're
delighted to have Lemar as an Ambassador for the charity. His passionate
desire to encourage people to become smokefree will, I'm sure, make him
a very effective advocate for our work."
1 in 12 Women Quit on No Smoking Day
No Smoking Day takes place on Wednesday 10th March 2010 and the charity is encouraging women who smoke to break free from the chains of their addiction and take control of their health and looks.
One in 12 females in the UK kicked the habit on No Smoking Day in 2009, that's an impressive 366,000 women who took the first step to a healthier life. And now No Smoking Day is hoping that the remaining 4 million female smokers in the UK will also be inspired to quit in 2010.
Here are some very good reasons why quitting smoking is one of the best beauty treatments a female smoker could give herself:
SKIN Smoking ages and dulls your skin by 10 years, giving you wrinkles. It can also treble your chances of developing psoriasis, a chronic skin condition.
YOUR WAIST Smoking makes you store weight around your waist, and nobody finds a 'muffin top' attractive. It also increases your risk of cellulite.
YOUR TEETH The nicotine ends up staining your teeth yellow and puts you in line for gum disease and tooth loss. So you've really nothing to smile about.
YOUR HAIR Smoking starves your hair of oxygen, making it lifeless and brittle.
YOUR SMELL And smoking also leaves a stink on your breath, hair and clothes which is really hard to get rid of.
SEX Smoking can create hormonal imbalances which decrease libido - so giving up smoking could improve your sex life!
YOUR PURSE Giving up 20-a-day is like a £42 a week pay rise! In six months you could save around £1092 - just imagine the upgraded flight, accommodation or additions to your holiday wardrobe with that extra cash!
Laura Luxton - spokesperson for No Smoking Day says: "By choosing No Smoking Day as their quit date women will be joining millions of others taking the first step. You're four times more likely to succeed in your quit attempt when using an NHS stop smoking service, so visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk to find one in your local area."
No Smoking Day's top tips for successful quitting:
- Find a buddy who's also going to stop smoking - it's easier if you've got a friend
- Throw away ashtrays, lighters and cigarettes - you are no longer a smoker
- Patches and nicotine gum are a great way to stop the cravings - and available on prescription from your doctor.
- Enrol in a free NHS stop smoking course - contact your GP surgery for details of a local venue
- Avoid anyone who isn't supporting your quit attempt
- Get out for a walk every time you feel tempted to smoke
- Join a gym and enjoy a healthy new you
- Fill the fridge with healthy, low calorie snacks like carrot sticks and celery so if you're tempted to eat rather than smoke you won't pile on the pounds
- Save the money you used to spend on cigarettes in a jar and treat yourself after a month: if you smoked 20 a day, you'll have saved £182.
To find out where your local stop smoking service is log onto www.nosmokingday.org.uk or call 0800 169 0 169
Case studies
We've started the countdown to No Smoking Day 2010 and we're compiling lots of real-life case studies from across the UK who want to tell their story about how, when and why they kicked the habit.
The No Smoking Day President, Duncan Bannatyne, will obviously be supporting the Day in a variety of ways which we will be telling you about in due course.
Call us for exclusive interviews, or for access to other successful quitters.
To access the No Smoking Day image library click here.