By: Shallin Squire
The year 2012 is just around the corner, and, according to Time magazine's list of "Top Ten Commonly Broken New Year's Resolutions", many of us set out to improve our health each January but fail to follow through with our goals. Included on the list of unattained goals are eating healthier, losing weight, managing stress, and kicking drinking and smoking habits (see http://www.time.com). The positive aspect of this news is that so many of us care about our health enough to recognize our weak areas and resolve to do better!
Rather than providing a list of dos and don'ts to aid you in setting your resolutions for 2012, though, we found someone who has achieved what once seemed impossible, and we are sharing her story and inspiring words of advice for you to ponder as you formulate your own strategy for success. For many people this is the busiest time of year, but setting aside a few minutes to plan for a healthier new year might alleviate some stress and prevent your new year's resolutions from being kicked to the curb with your Valentine's Day trash!
Kitty Conover had resolved to quit smoking too many times to number but had only had short-term success while pregnant. She'd tried hypnosis, anti-depressants, and a variety of other doctor-supervised and over-the-counter methods to kick the habit that she knew was isolating her from her family and damaging her health. Her willpower was strong but not quite strong enough to overcome the powerfully-addictive drug nicotine that had been part of her daily life for 30 years.
Kitty's resolve to stop smoking grew stronger as she stayed at her mother-in-law's bedside and helped care for her for 6 months as lung cancer gradually killed her. "It wasn't just difficult for me to watch my mother-in-law die from something that may have been prevented," Kitty explained, "but it was extremely painful to see my husband and son watch her die. I didn't want my family to have to go through that, and I knew that there was a real possibility they'd have to do it again at my bedside someday if I didn't quit smoking."
While on vacation in her home-state of California, Kitty decided to try yet another treatment rumored to help people stop smoking. It was a $400 sacrifice, and Kitty was skeptical, but she acknowledged that she needed help and decided to give it a try. "I had a cigarette before I went into the center and fully expected to have one when I left simply because I'd tried so many other things that didn't work in the past." Kitty received a cold-laser treatment, used on different pressure points of the body. The procedure is only approved by the FDA for pain, but in this case, the rumors about its role in aiding those who want to quit smoking were true. Kitty left the center with no desire for a cigarette, and she hasn't touched one since! That was 15 months ago.
"The treatment removed the cravings and withdrawals, but I still had to be responsible for changing my habits," Kitty stated. "For instance, smokers are used to having something in one hand all the time, so most people have to find something else, like a pencil or a toothpick, to hold throughout the day." Kitty was able to hold something better, though: she had quit smoking in time to hold her first grandchild without first showering and changing clothes to rid herself of cigarette smoke.
Kitty immediately appreciated being able to spend more time with her husband, Cliff, and her teenage son Kody as well. She explained, "I never smoked in front of my kids, which meant I wasn't around a lot. Now I can go to Kody's golf tournaments and watch him from inside the course all day. It is such a relief to not have something controlling me anymore. I feel unbelievably strong. Even my mindset is different. All a smoker can think about is when and where he or she can have that next cigarette. I don't have to worry about that anymore. I control my thoughts, and I control my destiny!"
Cliff and Kody are both dedicated to sports and fitness, and Kitty is now able to more fully participate in the types of activities they enjoy. The Conovers opened Kody's Fitness Center in 2005. As its name suggests, Kody's was intended as a place for their son to improve his athletic abilities. Previously used as a bar, the Conovers' building was converted to a gym so that Cliff and Kitty could raise their son in a nurturing atmosphere, but that is a two-way street: Kody inspires members of the fitness center as he overcomes the odds associated with his disability and succeeds in the classroom, on the golf course as a member of Union High School's team, and in other aspects of his life.
Cliff and Kitty are also raising a third gentleman in their family, nephew Jordan, who is 10 years old. Their oldest son AJ has a family of his own.
Kitty recently purchased and became certified to provide the very cold laser treatment that was instrumental in her success at being able to quit smoking. Her sole purpose in doing so is to help her friends and neighbors in the Basin who are struggling like she was. "I want people to feel the way I do now!" she declared. Kitty reiterated that the procedure is only FDA-approved for treating pain but casually mentioned that in just a few short weeks, 16 of her acquaintances have become non-smokers. While it isn't as easy for everyone as it was for Kitty, the procedure is the key to success for many people. Kitty stated, "My only regret is that my mother-in-law is not around to try it. She was a strong woman who tried a lot of things to quit smoking. Maybe this would have worked for her, too. You have to want to quit, and she did, but few people have willpower as strong as the power of nicotine. Every smoker needs help to quit, and for some, this is that help."
