I quit, you can too!As I approach my 30'th birthday later this summer - I decided to give up a three year old habit that was not taking me anywhere. What habit was it you may ask? Junk food? Speeding in my car? Not wearing my seat belt? Gambling? No! None of those. It was smoking Parliament cigarettes.
I used to smoke a half pack of them per day. That's 10 cigarettes a day at least. However, with the power of quitting cold turkey and motivation I gave them up the first part of May. The first week I stopped smoking I thought it was the end of the world. My breathing felt worse, I was on complete edge, I felt like I was going to just simply explode due to the urge to smoke. I got through it by chewing regular gum and drinking lots of water.
After week two, I was still having shortness of breath but I was starting to have less cravings. When I finished a meal I still wanted to smoke horribly bad, but I was not feeling strong urges. After week three I just about lost all urges to smoke and could feel my energy levels shoot through the roof.
One month of working out.Now I dedicate my life to the gym about 5 to 6 times per week. I do around 45 minutes of cardio each day, then dedicate another hour to free weights and other exercise. I drink plenty of water and cut back on unhealthy foods. As a matter of fact, I have been really working my shoulders a lot. I had let my muscle tone go weak over the years, but as I chart my progress - you can see to the left my shoulder and neck area look to be expanded. This is only after about three weeks of true dedication to the gym.
I truly advise everyone that smokes or may live a not so healthy life to quit those bad habits. Doing what's right for your body takes time and a lot of will power - but it will eventually start to click and you will feel SO much better. The only down side to this whole new chapter of my life is acne. Ha. Yes, acne! I started breaking out after I quit smoking and due to my working out daily. The experts tell me it will go away after about 30 days. If you look closely, you will see toothpaste on my face in the picture to the left.
If you need encouragement or would like to find out more - you can CLICK HERE to e-mail me or send me a message on Twitter.
Oh ... if my story didn't speak to you enough - the photo below is what motivated me to quit smoking!
Left Lung: Non-Smoker :: Right Lung: Smoker