A recent reader contribution poignantly illustrated how quickly the positives start to kick in when we quit smoking.
From Layn:
"I challenged myself to stop smoking for one week to see if I felt better. Within a day I had more energy. Within two days, my feet stopped being cold and the color returned to my toenails as a result of poor circulation. I also quit because I have a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease in my family and did not want to take further chances with my health. One last thing, when ever I would get a cut or wound, I would heal very slowly.
"Within a week of stopping, I saw marked improvement in a cut that I had on my finger that just would not seem to heal. If you smoke, challenge yourself. I rationalized that if I wanted a cigarette I could have one at anytime. The beauty is that the further you move along with one, your don't want it, because you start to feel so good."
Give yourself the gift of a smoke-free challenge and see where it takes you. The benefits are more numerous than you might imagine and they'll start to accumulate as soon as you stub out that last cigarette.
More Reading:
Our Reasons for Quitting - Reader Contributions
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