My City Wellness Summer 2022

The Benefits of Becoming a Non-Smoker

is is the big one – especially for the older generation that may have smoked for over three decades. Quitting smok ing can add years to your life and save thousands of dollars in potential health care costs. Bene ts can be realized a er as little as one day! You owe it to yourself to be as healthy as possible to truly enjoy your later years. You have earned them; be at your best when you get there.

bi-products of the habit. is results in more oxygen in your blood supply. A er going one full day without smok ing a cigarette, your risk of heart attack decreases. Activities and exercise begin to get easier. Around the three-day mark is when the biggest symptoms of nicotine withdrawal set in. is is usually the most intense period for any smoker, as nicotine is o cially depleted from your system. A person may experience moodiness, irritability, severe headaches and very intense cravings. Be resilient! Exercise your willpower and do not let cravings beat you! If you can last a week or two, the biggest withdrawal symptoms will subside. You will really appreciate what comes next. After a month, your lung func tion will improve immensely. Your cough will fade and you will experi ence fewer episodes of shortness-of breath. Internally, your circulation will improve bringing much more energy and recuperative ability. Af ter nine months, the damaged cilia in your lungs will be nearly com pletely healed and breathing nearly back to pre-smoking levels. One

year as a non-smoker cuts your risk for coronary disease in half. As you continue avoiding cigarettes, bene ts will continue to surface. A er ve years, blood vessels will begin to widen to pre-smoking size, reducing the chance of stroke. A er ten years, your risk of lung cancer is cut in half and a er 15, all risks of disease will be equal to those for non-smokers of the same age. If you can make it 20 years, it will be as if you never picked up this bad habit. Quitting smoking is one of the very hardest things to do in life! It’s a chal lenge and challenges should be met head on. Make the e ort and in as little as one year, you can feel like a whole new you. Don’t let your age stop you. Don’t let the habit beat you. If you quit at age 80, by 81 you will be healthier and have a much better outlook on the future. 

As soon as you make the decision and set your resolve to quit, the bene- ts hit you fast. A er just one hour, your heart rate and blood pressure will begin dropping to normal levels. A er 12 hours, your body cleanses itself of excess carbon monoxide – one of the most harmful

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