I could write about both and more as I’ve had a few. I think I’ll choose both as I replaced a habit and it is what worked to end what I consider to be my most hard to break destructive habit.
I was a smoker. I started when I was thirteen. I have to think here to figure out how long I smoked. I think nearly thirty five years.
I tried hundreds of ways to stop. I won’t go into them because near all of them did not work. What worked in the end was a lifestyle change. I never had a TV for about ten years and when my dad was downsizing he offered me his. I turned it on the first time and there were these glorious pictures of green Ireland. The advertisement said I could go there if I raised $5000.00 for charity and completed a marathon. (Training provided.)
I believed I could do it and asked the Arthritis Society that was sponsoring, if I could walk the marathon which they agreed and I was set. Off I went to the first training meeting and started a physical body practice of walking, walk/running and learning new words like cross training.
Thirty minutes a day exercise set me up for a better endorphin experience. It became more times of feeling good as when I smoked I usually felt bad. I tended to beat myself up for continuing to do what I and more and more in society hated.
The constant reinforcement of great feelings and being with sports minded people who took very good care of their body had the urge to smoke melting away.
It just became less and less times I engaged in that activity and at the end, I may have used the activity alone with a smoking cessation patch but mainly the habit was replaced.
I could also come up with a list of benefits resulting from cessation of smoking but would rather stick to letting you know I’ve had the many benefits of continuing in keeping my body active.
November 13, 2017
ellensagh 