Answer to Question 1
- Set a quit date and stick to it. Tell your family and friends that you're quittingmake a public pronouncement of your commitment. You are more likely to stick to a plan of action if you feel you would lose face were you to change your mind.
- Think of things to tell yourself when you feel the urge to smoke. Tell yourself how you'll be stronger and healthier, have greater stamina, reduce your risk of serious illness and chances of dying before your time, and so on.
- Tell yourself the first few days are the hardestafter that, withdrawal symptoms will subside dramatically.
- Remind yourself how much better off you'll be now that you're removing these poisons from your body.
- Quit in the morning, after you've gone a night without nicotine. Doing so gives you a head start on getting beyond withdrawal symptoms.
- Time quitting to coincide with a cold or a vacation. A good time for quitting cold turkey may be when you come down with a cold or the flu and don't have your usual hankering for a cigarette. Then again, if you get sick only infrequently, don't use good health as an excuse for not quitting. Some people time their quit dates to coincide with a vacation period that allows them to get away from the places and situations associated with their habits. You'll return a new persona nonsmoker.
- Rearrange your furniture, get new furniture, or get rid of that old chair in which you always smoked. Remove as many cues as possible that were associated with your smoking habit.
- Throw out all your smoking paraphernaliaashtra ys, cigarette lighters, matches (except kitchen matches), etc. Tolerate no exceptions.
- Ask other people not to smoke in your presence or your house. Tell your guests that you have recently quit smoking and would appreciate their cooperation. If they must smoke, ask them to step outside.
- Don't carry matches or light other people's cigarettes.
- Sit in nonsmoking sections of restaurants and trains.
- Fill your days with new activitiesthings you can enjoy that won't remind you of your smoking habit.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise can help keep your mind off of smoking and rebuild your stamina.
- Be especially good to yourself. Set aside a small monetary reward each day you maintain abstinence. Use the money to treat yourself to something specialsomething you wouldn't ordinarily buy for yourself. You deserve it
- Ask others to be patient with you in the days following your quit day. Tell friends and family members that you're likely to be irritable for awhile.
- Use sugar-free mints, gum, carrot sticks, celery sticks, or some other low-calorie snacks as substitutes for cigarettes or whenever you feel the urge to smoke. (Don't light them up.)
- Perform the mental exercise of reinterpreting withdrawal symptoms as signs that your body is cleansing itself of the poisons of smoking. Tell yourself that each day without smoking makes you stronger and healthier.
Answer to Question 2
A full stomach inhibits your range of motion for many poses. A full stomach also drains your energy while your body diverts energy to digestion.
