First month free of nicotine, 31 days without cigarettes

It is now 1 month since I last smoked a cigarette and it will be the first of many, there are certain moments during the day that the craving for nicotine appears but after a few seconds it flows away. The cravings dissapear faster when somebody is smoking nearby, the smell of cigarettes is really bad, as a smoker you never smell it like when you stop smoking, it is terrible. I am still running but I have to slow down a bit because I start to feel something in my knees, I don´t want to force it, I have all the time in the world, the most important thing I had to do I did and that was stop smoking.

Start to Run lesson 11 with Nike Plus and 2 weeks without cigarettes!

Two weeks without cigarettes, yeah time to celebrate!! It is easier then I thought, and my sense of taste and smell is improving a lot these last days.
So just finished another lesson of start to run and did some extra to reach 5K training.
I still not able to run a full 5K but slowly, step by step I am working on my condition.

Start to Run lesson 10 with Nike Plus and still a non-smoker!

Back from lesson 10 of the start to run programme. Again a great lesson and another day without smoking. Yesterday I recieved the Nike + Sportband that I ordered from the internet. It will help me track my runs and I will be able to my my progress. After lesson 10 I did an extra ten minutes just to see how the Nike + stats work:

Stop Smoking Tips

Here are some tips on how to stop smoking;

- write down your goals, what do you want to do, make a promise to yourself on paper.
My goals are never to use nicotine again and start running.

- write down the benefits of quiting, and take a blank page with the benifits of smoking...there are no benifits for smoking!

- read the book: Allen Carr´s easy way to stop smoking.

- drink a lot of water!

- believe in yourself, don´t be afraid!

- if there is a craving go walking, running, cycling...do exercises!

- throw your cigarettes away the moment you quit, it is dangerous to have a pack in case if doesn´t work, in case of means that you are not confident that you can quit, so throw them away and believe in yourself

Stop smoking, do not use nicotine substitutes!

Why would you use more poison to help you get rid of your addiction, a smoking addiction is more psychological than physical, replacing the nicotine from cigarettes with nicotine from substitutes wont change the mental state that causes the cravings.
So why should you feed your body more nicotine????? Smoking is more a mental addiction so do not waste your money on nicotine substitutes, try reading Allen Carr´s book it helped me and others stop smoking the easy way, don´t be afraid just do it!!

Don´t be fooled by what these products promise you:
Your chances of giving up smoking are doubled when using nicotine replacement therapy in comparison to using a placebo.
and
Do not cease treatment prematurely as this will decrease your chances of success.

Don´t believe it, it is just big business, it is expensive and you don´t need it!

Do not waste your money buying these products:

Patch (transdermal nicotine patches):
Purpose : The patch is an adhesive plaster containing nicotine. Applied simply and discreetly once a day, the patch diffuses controlled quantities of nicotine through the skin. Ideal for smokers with a regular habit.

Chewing-Gum:
Purpose : Nicotine chewing gums release controlled quantities of nicotine in the mouth. That are absorbed directly through the mucous membrane. The nicotine that is swallowed is not absorbed as the liver destroys it. Maximum nicotine levels in the blood (7-8 NG/ML) are reached some 30 minutes after chewing begins, this is a lot slower and a lot lower than the nicotine levels attained through smoking (20-25 NG/ML in about 5 minutes.).

Micro-tablets:
Purpose: Placed under the tongue, micro- tablets melt slowly, releasing controlled quantities of nicotine in the mouth. These tablets are discreet and can be used at any time.

Lozenges:
Purpose : Lozenges are a more discrete alternative to chewing gum.

Inhaler:
Purpose: Inhalers help combat both nicotine addiction and the behaviour associated with smoking. They reduce the craving for cigarettes and mimic the process of inhaling cigarette smoke.

10 days without smoking cigarettes, 10 days of freedom, without using nicotine substitutes.

10 days without smoking cigarettes or using nicotine substitutes, you should avoid products that contain nicotine, such as gum, patch, nasal spray or the inhalator which is similar to a plastic cigarette. This was a important decision for me not to use any of these nicotine substitutes, the withdrawal period is not painful nor frightful, it is all in your mind, so why would you take nicotine replacements if you want to stop smoking, it is poison, would you willingly take poison???
So for me it was an easy decision refusing nicotine substitutes.

Remember what Allen Carr says;

You do not need nicotine. It is not food; it is poison. When the pangs come remind yourself that it is smokers who suffer withdrawal pangs, not non-smokers. See them as another evil of the drug. See them as the death of a monster.

No smoking and running today, just cycling!

Today it´s a day to relax and recuperate from running, I don´t run every day but every other day, which is recommended by the start to run lessons. Every day I ride my bike to go to work and afterwards I make a trip in the city to relax. When I still was a cigarette smoker addicted to nicotine I was always cycling with a cigarette in my mouth, but not anymore. When cycling through the city I see a lot of smokers in the streets and I am starting to pity them, to commit suicide over the years because of an addiction, I am happy that it is not so difficult as I thought it would be, I stopped smoking before but then it was always very hard and I was feeling very nervous, now thanks to the book of Allen Carr I am not nervous and it is easy to control the urge to smoke, which I still have sometimes during the day, but then I think how good it is to be a non-smoker and the urge disappears. In the past I was always afraid to stop smoking and always putting it of until another day, smoking more because of the fear of stopping.
Don´t be a afraid, JUST DO IT stop smoking and start running

Start to Run lesson 8 and afterwards a steam bath!

It´s a relaxing evening without cigarettes, just finished lesson 8 of the Start to Run Programme and took a steam bath afterwards...aahhhh..total relaxation without the need for nicotine. Lesson 8 was a intensive lesson with a lot of 2 minutes running and now just 1 minute walking, during the previous lessons the walking time was always equal to the running time so it was easier to recuperate and control my breathing.
I am also starting to smell better, during my running lesson it was noticeable where and who the nicotine addicts were. Before as a smoker I did not smell the difference but now....never again, will there be nicotine in my body. During the day I still have at times a small urge to smoke but this is the nicotine wanting its shot...I am not an addict so no more nicotine.
So now it´s time for a cool beer and watch some TV.

Mr. Allen Carr, the man who helped me to become a non-smoker

1 week since my last cigarette

Last Sunday I smoked the last cigarette, now one week later I feel better and happier that I stopped smoking. There are still certain moments during the day that the urge to smoke rises, but I will conquer the nicotine and continue to be a non-smoker!

Allen Carr´s book Easy Way To Quit Smoking helped me to stop

I would like to thank Mr. Allen Carr for writing such a marvelous book, it really helped me a lot to make myself a non-smoker.
I recommend all smokers to read this book, don´t be afraid you can still smoke whilst reading the book, but by the end of the book the urge to smoke one last cigarette is gone.

The book is;
* Instantaneous
* Equally effective for the heavy smoker
* No bad withdrawal pangs
* Needs no willpower
* No shock treatment
* No aids or gimmicks required
* You will not even put on weight
* Permanent
If you are a smoker all you have to do is read the book.

Why did I decide to stop smoking?

The first step in stopping to smoke is why and there are a lot of reasons; health, money...
For me it was the thought of becoming a father, my wife´s pregnant and in about 8 weeks we will have a daughter. So I decided that I want to be a good father who does not smell like an ash-tray and wants to be in good health for future leisure activities.My wife doesn´t smoke and complained a lot in the past about my bad breath etc. but I never had the feeling to stop when someone put me under pressure, the result was that I smoked more.

I just stopped smoking and started to run...

Hello everybody, I just stopped smoking and started running. On this blog I will share my experience about both actions, stop smoking and start running. I am sure that it is possible for me to trade one addiction for another. I will share my thoughts and feelings with you, so if you want to stop smoking you can maybe follow my leads and start running. Let us share our experience and feelings so that others will follow.