Stop Smoking Now

If you smoke, stop now! Quitting smoking is the #1 thing you can do to improve your health.

I can't believe bodybuilders smoke. You lift weights and do cardio, take vitamins and supplements, eat the right foods and drink plenty of water, yet some are still inhaling poison!

Of course, this goes for health professionals too, some doctors and nurses smoke. Nicotine is one powerful drug, if you smoke, stop smoking now!

My Story

I was a smoker too, 16 years on and off. Sure I had stretches were I "quit", one year here one month there, I even made it three years straight once. But I always went back. Some stressful situation would occur and I went looking for my beloved Marlboro lights.

One stressful moment in my life actually helped me quit. My ex father-in-law, a smoker, had emphysema. Watching my ex father-in-law die from emphysema was horrific; it was like watching someone drown, but taking months to do it.

Watching him take his last breath in the intensive care unit, face swollen and eyes shut, spitting up blood, dying with all of his family members watching, is something I will never forget...EVER.

I quit smoking one month after his death; there was no way I was going to die like that.

December 31st, 1999, 3:00 pm, was my last Marlboro light. If I can quit so can you. Don't let life's stressful situations get to you. Make quitting smoking your number one priority.

Quitting is Tough

I quit while going through a divorce, job loss, and becoming a single parent all in the same year. Yikes! I have over ten years of no smoking now, and my body is only recovered by about 70% compared to a lifelong non-smoker. It takes your body a full fifteen years to get back to normal!

Nicotine withdrawal is tough, you have to want to quit. I had the image of my dying ex father-in-law which I remembered every time I craved a smoke. It worked.

YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT! All of a sudden food tastes great. A few extra pounds are a lot healthier than black lungs.

Sitting at a traffic light in the summer with the windows open, the second hand smoke from other motorists smelled wonderful; it took a good five years for that craving to go away.

I used tooth picks and sugarless gum to fight the oral fixation. Now they have electronic cigarettes to help with this.

The hardest time I had was a stopping the cigarette and coffee habit first thing in the morning and the one after every meal.

Reasons to Quit

I will feel healthier right away. I will have more energy and better focus. My senses of smell and taste will be better. I will have whiter teeth and fresher breath. I will cough less and breathe better.

I will be healthier the rest of my life. I will lower my risk for cancer, heart attacks, strokes, early death, cataracts, and skin wrinkling.

I will make my partner, friends, family, kids, grandchildren, and co-workers proud of me.

I will be proud of myself. I will feel more in control of my life. I will be a better role model for others.

I will no longer expose others to my second-hand smoke.

I will have a healthier baby. (If you or your partner is pregnant)

I will have more money to spend.

I won't have to worry: "When will I get to smoke next?" or "What do I do when I'm in a smokefree place?"

Source: Smokefree.gov

How to Quit

First, you have to really want to quit, I mean really want it! Quitting smoking has been compared to quitting heroin. Not easy.

I'm not even going to pretend that I know the answer on how to quit. Instead I have assembled some links to quit smoking websites and products that get good reviews and ratings. Some sites I'm affiliated with and will get a small commission - hey website hosting costs $ ;-)

Quit Smoking Resources

Inside, you'll find lots of great information on how to quit smoking. You'll learn how to set a quit date, quit, and avoid weight gain. Learn ways to make quitting easier, even if you are a long-time smoker. Take a look at our quitting articles and stop smoking today. QuitSmoking.com, Inc.

Quitsmart -- Everything You Need to Break Free from Cigarettes

Who Else Wants to Quit Smoking, Without the Use of Pills, Patches, Gum, or Sprays - Using a Solution With a 98% Success Rate?

Electronic Cigarettes

If I was still smoking, this product would really interest me. Electronic cigarettes look, feel, and taste like a tobacco cigarette and require the same mechanical motions (oral fixation). They expel an almost odorless water vapor (referred to as "vaping") that looks like smoke, but isn't. The secret to what makes the e-cigs better than traditional smoking is what's inside this revolutionary product.

Electronic Cigarettes are driven by modern microelectronic technology. The body is an integrated structure made up of a cartridge, an atomization chamber, a smart chip controller and lithium battery. In the front of the device is an operating mode indicator that lights up when you use it and simulates the burn of a tobacco cigarette.

The atomizer is responsible for creating the vapor like smoke, very much like a real cigarette. This vapor is a result from the heating up or atomizing of the liquid inside the cartridge. The atomizer produces the vapor that when inhaled, gives the user the physical sensation and nicotine hit that smokers crave. It gives you the full effect of smoking real tobacco without harsh tobacco smoke and without second hand irritation.

Nicotine doses in the cartridges are rated in low, medium, high, and zero nicotine. This feature allows the user to "wean" cravings away from physical dependence on nicotine if they want to use them this way. However, E-cigarettes have yet to be officially recognized as a "Smoking Cessation Device" by the Food and Drug Administration.

Electronic Cigarettes Testimonial

The use of Electronic Cigarettes satisfied my hand to mouth (the act of smoking habit) and being able to blow out a vapor that resembled smoke was enough to keep me from going crazy.

I bought my first e-cig almost a year ago, after smoking 2 to 2 1/2 packs a day for over 40 years. I never touched another cigarette since the first day I started. However, I'm still using the nicotine.

I don't cough all night anymore, I can breathe freely again, my sense of taste & smell came back, and my wife says I don't smell like an ashtray anymore. I travel for a living, and I use my e-cig in many public places. Jim D.

A big part of the smoking allure is the accessories that go with it. You have your carton of cigs; individual packs; lighters and/or matches; and if you roll your own, you need papers, tobacco carrying pouches, rolling machines etc. There are plenty of accessories that go along with the E-Cigarette:

Conclusion

As a bodybuilder you are strong on the outside, but to quit smoking you need to be strong on the inside too. No matter what method you use to quit smoking, just pick one and STOP. I'm glad I had the strength to quit; odds are you have it too because YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Keep liftin'.