This to me made great sense. Instead of feeling rotten for weeks I decided I wanted to feel the complete opposite. Jogging is what I chose as my main decoy to eradicate any nicotine cravings I may suffer. As a younger man jogging was an important part of my life and it felt natural to migrate back to this great and healthy pastime.What could be better to cope with quitting cigarettes than running for free and receiving an abundance of health benefits everyday for the rest of my life.
The Quit date was set. I gave myself 2 weeks to prepare my mind and to smoke those last venomous packets of cigarettes. I made a decision to also set myself a goal every week. I decided that I would run/jog 3 times a week and my goal would be to ad 3 km per week. The first day I would run 1 km, second day 2 km and so on. After 3-4 weeks when I reached 10 km I would keep it at that distance. I would then try to do the 10 km faster each time (within reason, not killing myself).
@ weeks after I set my Quit date I gave up cigarettes for good, that's the way I had to see it. I went in thinking that this was my last cigarette, there was no going back. Determination was my foundation and it was rock solid. Once the Nicotine cravings started I turned my mind to running. It was not feasible to run every time I had a craving, but it was feasible to think about it and all the benefits that were waiting for me to achieve.
For the first time ever I felt my mind was in the right place, I was beginning to feel like a healthier person even though I hadn't ventured on my first run yet. When I did manage to get out and run that first km, I was overwhelmed with a great sense of achievement. It gave me purpose. Cigarettes seemed less important now, which was difficult for me as my life as a smoker revolved totally around smoking cigarettes. I couldn't ever get them out of my mind. I always new the health risks that came with smoking cigarettes but I only realize now the changes they made to my personality, negative changes that effected my self esteem and messed with my mind no doubt.
As the weeks progressed my fitness levels were up, my self esteem was up and I was starting to believe in me the non smoker again. I was back to where I started from, as a non smoker. My energy levels were so high I hardly recognized myself, I was on top form. My zest for life was abundant, I saw life through clearer vision, I saw a new life with me playing a bigger part.
Quitting smoking is a difficult thing to grasp. Running to get fit and revitalize my body sensationally worked for me. It doesn't have to be running if it doesn't suit your fitness level. The same approach can be taking using walking, cycling, swimming or even a light work out, whatever ticks all the boxes for you! Just try give up the cigarettes and incorporate some exercise into your Quit regime and I promise you that you wont know yourself.
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