Smoking at the gym door

Ok, I try not rant on here, but I have to vent!
One of my biggest pet peeves, beyond even people parking in cycle lanes, is people who light up a cigarette at the door of the gym before going in to train.
This absolutely bugs the hell out of me for a couple of reasons.

1. It stinks, and lingers in the area by the door. If the door is open, everyone in the gym can smell your stinking cigarette. Also, it makes you stink of cigarettes. No one wants to be inhaling your stink. If you must smoke, wait until you're home from your training.
2. Why would anyone purposely and permanently kill lung cells before going training?

Every breath of cigarette smoke inhaled causes carbon monoxide to bind permanently to the alveoli (air sacks) in the lungs, preventing them working. They have only 1 function, to transfer oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of it. But when tied up with monoxide they can't do this. It takes days or weeks before these cells are broken down and replaced, during which time your ability to exercise is reduced.
To put it another way, you wouldn't smash your toes with a hammer before going for a run, would you? Didn't think so. Don't fill your lungs with tar at the start of your session!
Have a look at my previous posts on smoking for help in breaking the habit, even if you're not currently trying to quit.

How to quit smoking - Mal Kelly's top tips

At some point, most if not all smokers will try to quit. And fail. Believe it or not, this is a good thing. Having failed to quit, probably several times, is all part of quitting.  Quitting is not an event, that occurs at a specific point in time. It is an ongoing process, which takes time, information and support.

Lets break smoking down into its 4 parts..

1. craving

2. action

3. lighting up

4. building a habit

So, the craving for a cigarette is felt. What triggered the desire? What's the setting? Who else is there? What time is it? What are you drinking? What are you thinking?

Cravings felt first thing on waking in the morning are usually addiction/withdrawal based impulses. These usually disappear within a few days, but can sometimes take a few weeks.

Key to successfully kicking the habit is raising awareness of triggers. 

For many smokers, a cigarette is associated with taking a break at work or having a cup of tea or coffee. Every time a cigarette is had along with the beverage, the association is reinforced. Numerous smokers report lighting up as a reaction to stress. If this sounds like you, keep an eye out for my upcoming posts on breathing to control stress and anxiety.

Action.

This is the point where a smoker reaches for tobacco. This is something that used to be a conscious decision, but over time has been repeated so often the cigarette is in the smokers hand without a conscious decision. This habit needs to be broken.

Lighting up.

The first 2 or 3 'pulls' on the cigarette addresses the addiction, but the addict keeps smoking out of habit. 

Building a habit.

Experts believe it takes on average 40 days in a row of maintaining a behaviour to establish it as a habit. The same is true of breaking a habit. A habit, with smoking, you've built up by repeating an action, probably hundreds perhaps thousands of times per day. Putting your hand to your mouth. How many times per cigarette? How many cigarettes per day? For how many years? 


If you allow it, your body will autopilot from smoking to eating. Make it easy to autopilot to something else. Get a waterbottle with a sports cap, so you can take a quick swig without taking the top off. Keep it within arms reach at all times.


Find something else to do with your hands so they don't autopilot. 
One option is to figure out how much you'd spend on cigarettes this week, and spend it on a necklace/chain instead. Instead of hand to mouth, you've got hand to bling. 

Guys, experiment with growing some facial hair. It doesn't have to be a full Grizzly Adams, even a few hairs on the chin would do the trick. 

Think of how much cigarette money you can save in a month to put to something else, or in a year!!

Even being aware of the habit and spotting it when it happens will help you get past smoking.
You CAN do it!


Fore more help:
Try the exercise on my post Dealing with cravings
Eating certain foods can help you get off and stay off cigarettes.

Quit smoking: dealing with cravings

Here are some ideas to help you cope with cravings. Some of these have worked for me, some come from members in the gym I work in. 

But first try this exercise..

Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders.

Disgusting full ashtray.

Now imagine the scene where you smoke most frequently. Imagine all the sights and sounds that are usually present when you are in the situation where you smoke. Are you sitting or standing in the scene? Feel the ground or chair beneath you. Make the scene as real as possible in your mind, with all the sights, feelings, sounds, smells and even tastes you associate with smoking. 
Next imagine an overflowing ashtray full of wet ash and fag butts. 

Remember the way it stinks... how horrible it smells. You can probably taste it… think of

how it makes you gag. Disgusting isn’t it? Cigarettes are disgusting.

Next, close your eyes and do this exercise again, this time creating the scene in even more detail.

Try doing this whenever you get a craving, or every morning and evening. It might not make the craving go away, but it certainly helped me strengthen my resolve, and made me more determined to stay off the little white death-sticks for 1 more day at least. 

Some quick fixes:

* chew some gum

* eat something eg carrot sticks or lollipops

* brush your teeth

* sip a non-alcoholic drink you don't link with smoking

* take a shower

* run up some stairs

* do a crossword

* call a friend

* occupy your hands, eg by doodling, doing sudoku, juggling, knitting or completing a pocket puzzle.

Did you find my exercise effective? Have you got a tip that's worked for you?  Share it in the comments.

Quit smoking : Foods that help

Orange foods: carrot, sweet potato and mango are rich in beta-carotene, which is

important for healthy lung walls.

Broccoli is rich in isothiocyanate that helps protect against lung disease. Try other

brassica veg like cabbage, kale and sprouts.

Vitamin C: cigarettes rob the body of vitamin C. Eat berries, cherries, grapefruit and

kiwis.

Antioxidants: ex-smokers need more, so aim for seven or more portions of fruit and veg a

day and eat a rainbow of colours.

Water will help flush toxins and ease food cravings. Fill a two-litre bottle every morning

and aim to drink it all by the end of the day.