The last cigarette – your body says thank you!

Haven’t you often thought about quitting smoking and didn’t know how? Perhaps you have even tried it before but have not been successful? It has been proven that smoking is just as addictive as some “hard drugs”. We have put together a few easy exercises to help you on your way to quitting smoking.

Exercise 1: Understand your reasons for wanting to quit

You’ll be more motivated once you’ve thought through why you want to quit. Make a list of your most critical personal reasons for quitting smoking.

 

Exercise 2: Talk to your doctor and ask for support

The World Health Organization estimates that a maximum of 5 out of 100 smokers manage to quit using sheer willpower. Even a brief consultation with a doctor can have a positive impact on the chance of being successful in quitting smoking. That’s why it’s essential to talk to your doctor if you’ve decided to quit smoking.

Exercise 3: Preparation phase

Before the day you quit, you should remove everything related to smoking from your home and workplace. This is an important task; take your time! Making your home a no-smoking space will help you feel more prepared when you stub out that last cigarette.

• Throw away all cigarettes, empty packets and lighters.
• Check your clothes for forgotten packages.
• Clean and remove all ashtrays.
• Wash all clothing, towels, and anything else that smells like cigarettes.
• Thoroughly clean your home and car.
• Open all windows and air your apartment.

 

Exercise 4: The “Stairs Test”

It’s incredible how quickly your body begins to recover once you’ve finally smoked your last cigarette. For example, blood pressure and pulse return to normal after 20 minutes, and after 24 hours, the carbon monoxide is completely gone from your body. With the stair test, you can see how quickly the body recovers.

Find a staircase that you use frequently. When you get to the top, rate how tiring you found it on a scale of one to six (1=very difficult, 6=very difficult) and write down how long it took. If you repeat the test every week, you’ll see and feel your health improve week after week!

Before doing this exercise, make sure it is right for you. If your doctor has advised you not to do any physical exertion for health reasons, ask him if you can do this exercise. Stop and consult your doctor if you don’t feel well or have any problems during the exercise.

Exercise 5: Test your senses

Think of your favourite food – a delicious chocolate cake. Or a roast with red cabbage and dumplings? Imagine the smell and the taste. Just like tasting a piece, savour the taste.

Every cigarette you smoke destroys the ability of the sensory cells in your mouth and nose to smell and taste. Once you stop smoking, these cells regenerate. Your sense of smell and taste will noticeably improve within a few weeks.

Take the smell and taste challenge! Pick something to eat as soon as you stop smoking. Smell it and taste it. Then, rate the smell and taste from one to six. Do the test again in a few weeks with the same food. You will be surprised how much your perception has improved.

Exercise 6: You will save, do the math!

Without a doubt, spending on cigarettes is one reason why quitting smoking is worth it! Have you ever calculated how much money you spend on smoking daily, weekly, monthly and yearly? If not, catch up—a great way to stay motivated.

Could you think of something you could do with the money instead – a new dress, suit or a nice trip? Set up a standing order into a savings account and transfer the money you would have spent on cigarettes. This is how you see your savings grow.