Today is The Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS). So if you are looking to quit smoking, today is the day!
There are amazing health benefits to giving up the smokes. Here are highlights of the health improvement from the first 365 days of being smoke free.
- 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
- 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
- 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
The ACS knows that quitting is difficult and they have created some great widgets for your computer desk top to help. You can also find helpful resources at the Smokeout website.
If you need even more motivation to quit check out these reasons to quit smoking and here are some tips to help you quit.
Zac Posen
S***r
Hanii Y
I really need to get my butt in gear
1I'll never understand why people would pay to kill themselves slowly. =/ Ever..
If you're over 30 then you kind of have the excuse "I didn't know the risks" but under 30? Literature promoting the risks of smoking has been around for at least 15 years.. it can't be rationally justified anymore.
2Yay! This January marks my 2nd year of being smoke free! Go me!
3I quit about 4 years ago. I cant believe I use to smoke. It was a thing I did when I was younger so grossssssssssss
4I quit about six months ago. woohoo.
5oh and fluffyhelen, for me, I smoked because I am young and I didn't think it would affect me. I rationalized it as people in other countries don't get sick from smoking, especially the French, so I won't either. Except French people, generally, eat better, "exercise" more, and don't have smog.
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