Goodbye cigarettes, hello healthy habits: Todd’s story. | MOBE

Goodbye cigarettes, hello healthy habits: Todd’s story.

During quarantine, Todd reflected on his health. He didn’t know what to expect from MOBE but knew he needed to do something to be healthier. He realized his smoking habit and lack of exercise put him at higher risk for serious health concerns.

A partnership built on change.

Todd began in the MOBE Health Guide app with three goals in mind: quit smoking, start exercising again, and have more mindfulness. “You only get one body, and I've been treating mine like an amusement park for the past 46 years, so I needed to make some changes,” he said.

When Todd met his MOBE Guide Tom, a former smoker, they instantly connected and built a relationship grounded in honesty and similar life experiences. In some ways, Tom had walked in Todd’s shoes, which made him an understanding and valuable accountability partner.

Tom is somebody who’s been through the trenches and is on the other side waving to me and saying, ‘Get over here!’ I trust him implicitly.

Patience, perseverance, and people in his corner.

Having smoked for many years, Todd wasn’t bound to quit overnight. There were a few false starts. But every time he would falter, Tom would be there to pick him up and suggest a different strategy until they discovered what worked.

Tom suggested that every time Todd felt a craving for a cigarette, he should try going for a walk instead. It was a “twofer,” a way to accomplish two goals simultaneously. He began walking several times a day and was consistently exceeding 10,000 steps. These quick wins were adding up, and Todd was surprised that an urge for exercise replaced his urge for a smoke.

“Anytime I would normally have smoked a cigarette in the past—I've replaced it with the ritual of just going for walks,” he said. “I’m still going on walks, even if I want to smoke or not. So that's huge. Walking is now part of my life where it wasn't before.”

Tom would send Todd articles and videos, and they’d chat about them on the MOBE Health Guide app. Todd found the app super convenient for asking questions, and if Tom couldn’t reply right away, they’d remember to bring it up on their next phone call.

Also in Todd’s corner was his MOBE Pharmacist, Megan. He’d never taken anything besides cough medicine and aspirin as needed before his doctor prescribed a new medication. Having an expert on hand to go over the timeline, pros and cons, and common side effects gave him peace of mind and helped him determine whether he wanted to continue taking the medication.

Improvements others notice.

The changes to his lifestyle have worked wonders in Todd’s personal and professional life. There are tangible, measurable results, and he feels healthier now than he’s been in the last decade. He reserves ten minutes in his schedule every day before lunch to meditate. Since he’s started this, there’s been an overall improvement in his mood and more clarity of thought.

His sleep has improved as he’s not waking up coughing in the middle of the night. He’s more aware of what he’s eating—he thinks twice when reaching for the afternoon candy bar and reminds himself it’s just as easy to have a granola bar.

People in his life have noticed these changes. His wife is happy he’s finally quit smoking, something she’s been encouraging him to do since they met. His co-workers have noticed he looks healthier, too. He’s not leaving his desk every two hours for a cigarette, and he feels more present and readily available moment-by-moment.

Todd has experienced more success in accomplishing his health goals with MOBE than with any other benefits previously offered. He attributes these changes to Tom and Megan tailoring the experience specifically to him and his aspirations.

The personalized experience, that’s really what got me to believe. It’s having that human being on the other end of the phone who’s there to answer all the questions. They’re there to support you. You can just ask questions, and the person has the answers.

Are you ready to create your success story? Begin a new chapter by working one-to-one with a MOBE Guide or MOBE Pharmacist. Get started today.