In Which A-Jock Quits Smoking

Annette, I've been off the Forums for a busy day and came back to find your AMAZING post! Don't be embarrassed, kiddo -- every last one of us has some skeleton in the closet some way or another. I'm just delighted and impressed and moved and happy and pleased and generally feel all kinds of warm fuzzy emotions about your decision, and your progress, and how great you're doing! :) :)

Your post-smoking mish-mosh, by the way, is jaw-droppingly insane, girl. Repeat after me: "There ARE limits upon what I must make my gorgeous self do in the name of mish-moshes and plyopower." Repeat a zillion times. Then go have a cuppa joe. :)

Ever your fervent admirer,
http://e4u.deltait.com.au/sport/sport23.gif Kathy S.
 
Way to go, A-Jock! I know what a grip that addiction can get on you. My husband was a smoker when we first met over 20 years ago. He quit probably 10-15 years ago, which is wonderful, but has been rotating nicotine substitutes ever since (nicotine gum, chewing tobacco, etc.). He just can't seem to break free. It'll probably be one of the toughest things you ever do, but hey, you've broken tough addictions before, right? Take it from someone who lost her mom to lung cancer, no matter how tough it is to quit, it's gotta be better than the eventual alternative, right? So give those hard-working lungs the air they deserve! You'll be flying up to the sky on those plyo-jacks now!:eek:

I wish you the very best of luck. You go, girl!

-Marie:)
 
Ajock,

You are obviously a very motivated person. I have read and heard so many times that you are in such excellent shape. I know you are getting that NRT thing, but, maybe you don't need it. Maybe your willpower alone, which you have so much of, will help you though this. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or anything like that, but I believe that you can do this on your own. I KNOW you can.

Peace,
Kristie Schultz
 
Ajock-
I was embarassed too for so many years!! I know just how you feel. On December 16 I will celebrate my 7th anniversary as a non-smoker. I still remember the awful pneumonia that finally did it for me, and I am grateful to that illness, strange as it may sound.

Don't be hard on yourself. If you like, I will send you a private message and let you know the things that got me through it. I made some interesting discoveries that may help you as much as they helped me.

-Nancy
 
Hi there,
I always read your posts and enjoy them alot, but I have never replied to one before. I quit smoking at just over 2 years of sobriety 12 years ago(almost) and I tell you what, I still jones for cigarettes at times. When my mother got sick and died of cancer, it wasn't drugs or alcohol I wanted, so much as to smoke. By God's grace, I got through that without any relapse of any sort. Anyway, blessings on your effort and I believe that you will succeed. Only 2 cigs a day to go--you are almost there!

take care
Maggie
 
Aquajock -

Your post struck a note with me since smoking has become a very personal issue with me. My father died 2 months ago of lung cancer. We found out he was terminal on September 7 and he was gone on September 19. It was a very difficult loss for my family and me. He had small cell lung cancer which is a very aggressive and fast spreading form of cancer. My father smoked for 40 years before he quit in 1982. I don't know whether the smoking caused the lung cancer for sure but it's hard not to associate the two together. Other than the smoking my father was very healthy and muscular - like you A-Jock - and watched everything he ate. In fact, my husband used to say my dad had "Popeye" arms from so many years of hard physical labor. My father lived to be 86 years old and for that I'm happy to have had him so long. Was it long enough? It never is.

I don't mean to preach to anyone - really. I firmly believe smoking is a personal choice. I am just really, really glad you're taking steps to quit.

Good luck to you!
Sue
 
A-Jock! That's great! Congratulations! Totally understand where you're coming from...how's THIS for stupid?...after smoking since being a teenager (I'm 46 now) I quit cold turkey in 1994 and started back up again in 1997! I've been down to about 7-10 cigarettes a day for the last year or so, and, like you, I'm determined to quit! I've got some Nicotrol inhalers (prescription only) and I'm going to see how it works...I've got that little voice in my head constantly nagging me also, not to mention my hubby (who quit about 8 years ago) and my 13-year-old son, lol. Maybe those of us who are trying to quit should start some sort of check-in or something? Anyway, good luck...I'm actually shooting for this Friday as my quit day. Let's (all) keep each other posted! :))
 
A-Jock, I quit myself last year. Well, quit, started, quit, started, and finally quit about six months ago. Ya know, it bothered me that I would have sold my first born child for a cigarette in those first few days. Then I ran out of children to sell and said, what the heck? Why put yourself through this? My favorite part was when I was a closet smoker (5-6/day) and LIED about it! Nope, not me. Must be somebody elses smoke you smell on me.

You'll be free before ya know it. Ya know, we have a few things in common - quitting smoking and sober for 16 years.

Congratulations for a day without smoking. Alexis
 
You go Girl!! It's hard but we all know you can do it, and YOU know you can do it!! If you can get through all of Cathe's tough workouts you can do ANYTHING!!

Nadine

~~Happiness is an Attitude~~
 
A-J,
Cool, I read your post on Turnstep as well. I even saved the thread for my DH, he smokes. He read it.

I smoked a long time ago, but is was easy to quit because I was not deeply into it. However, a person close to me who finally quit the same day I did (after 30 years of 2-3 packs a day and on the day he had a massive heart attack) said, he used the following images to focus on.

First, a little voice will want you to smoke. It will be very insistent, but it will not last.

Every so often it will attack, but it will subside and not infinitely intensify.

Second, remember that cigarettes are not your friends, on the contrary, they are your intimate enemies.

Third, imagine the offer of a cigarette, someone holding out one to you, but you have Luke Skywalker's light saber, and you slash off the hand at the wrist!! Keep slashing away.

HTH
Fondly, Connie
 
Way to go AJ
You have tackled some mighty big things in your life. This too, you will be able to succeed in.
I liked the way Connie said that 'cigarettes are not your friends.'
As you mentioned, you can feel a difference in your oxygen intake by cutting down. Think of how wonderful it will be to use your full lung capacity.
But like someone alluded to in an above post, you are going to be flying and jumping higher and the workouts you design are going to be impossible for us mere mortals to do. LOL

Congratulations on your decision. You are doing something great for yourself. I'm in your corner, as are many many others, rooting for ya!
 
I applaud you for being motavited to go forward with your plan. Your body will thank you over and over! This may be the bravest challenge yet, but I sense that you are ready for it! Bless you;-)
 
A-Jock
Good luck in your quitting YOu can do it just breathe is what i did deeply I have been a non smoker for over 14 years Currently my twin is quittin she is on day 30 somehting I think. She actually forgot to update me this a.m. So I am guessing the process is getting easier! I imagine you are not the only smoker who exercises but boy if you can do Cathe and smoke think how easy it will be when you don't
Good Luck
Lisa
 
Just wanted to wish you luck on your quest for becoming smoke-free! You'll no doubt be healthier, but you'll smell better, too (sorry, I've never smoked---at least not more than 1/2 cigarette total in my entire life--so it's hard to not be negative about it).

I used to live with a social worker roommate, who said that citrus fruits can help people cut cravings because citrus and cigarettes taste so bad together (I guess you pick up an orange every time you crave a ciggy, or something to that effect). Kind of like a milk/cranberry sauce or milk/grapefruit combo (yuk!).

Why not keep those hands busy and learn to knit or crochet (hard to think of smoking at the same time, and you could make lots of hats to keep that shiny bald pate warm in the winter!).

Stay strong. Stay committed (but don't get committed ;-) ). Be healthy!
 
Congratulations A-jock! :D I had no idea you smoked, guess it never came up in our "conversations."
I'm not sure how I feel about this decision though? I mean you were coming up with killer cardio routines WHILE you were a smoker, so what the heck lies ahead after you quit and have even greater lung capacity??!!!! It's frightening to think about! :D

I have no doubt that you will successfully quit, and your body is going to be so very happy you did. Way to go! :D

Donna

Fitness~ It's a journey, not a race!
 
RE: Another post-quit mish-mosh

MIC warm-up and hi/lo segment
10-10-10 hi/lo segment
Step Pump Jump hi/lo segment
CTX hi/lo segments, fast-forwarding thru first resistance cycle
Boot Camp cardio only premix

Gives me something to look forward to.

Donna - great to hear from you again! We miss you!

A-Jock
 
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you--sunflower seeds (in the shell) were a big help to me when I quit. They keep both your hands and your mouth busy, which addresses the "habit," issue. For me, that was the hardest part. A year later, even two, I was still thinking, "I've never done this/been here etc. without smoking before. If you look, you can find some that are low in sodium. Yes, they're messy, but quitting smoking is not a pretty process, no matter how you look at it. Of course, if you're as obsessive/compulsive as I am, you'll have to wean yourself off the seeds later, too, but that's much easier than quitting smoking. Another thing I did, although I know this isn't for everyone, was to carry around one of my husband's cigarettes. I liked the skinny, menthols, and he smoked the fat non-menthols, so I was never tempted to light it, but it felt comforting to have one in my hand, to "flip the ashes," to gesture with it, even to simply smell the tobacco.
 
Wow...I almost missed this whole thread as I feel I am too fat to read open forum anymore. Ajock you continue to amaze and impress me.......and now I'm really terrified (I'm right in there with gettinfit). From this point forward you are not allowed to post mishmoshes without medical disclaimers - understand???? I have no doubt you will conquer this....and if ever tempted...just drop that #50 db that you use for delt lifts on your cigarette and remember it's a crushed habit.

Thanks for encouraging all of us.

Briee
 
Annette,
Congratulations. I know how hard it is to quit; I quit 8 years ago myself, cold turkey, after many unsuccessful attempts. I think setting the quit day is important-having something to work toward-a goal-helped me (sure it wouldn't work for everyone, but it felt right to me). Just wait til you're 'set free' from the chains of the addiction. you will feel like you can soar! It's an amazing feeling, to not beat yourself up everyday for the habit. I didn't know you were a smoker to begin with, and now I am doubly amazed by your cardio capacity. Oh well, you are now a shadow of how incredible your cardo capacity will be, once you've quit for good. You can do it!!! :D Take care!
Kathy W
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top