Today's Quit Tip: Nicotine Exposure

This tip may not be the best, but here it's a small window to my daily routine. I've actually had to ease myself into re-exposing myself to smokers. Don't get me wrong. The individual may not be vile. It's the smoking that's vile. Unfortunately it weaves its way into the individual (literally). The clothes and breath is the first to go, followed by the teeth which turn a ghastly yellow.

How to overcome smoking with so many smokers? It's not bloody easy.

I don't have much to offer office workers here. I've been fortunate enough to quit while off work. If I had to quit at my previous workplace (to Australian readers, who'll probably hate me: I worked at Telstra, a workplace that was so stressful, annoying and riddled with middle manager bullies and idiotic work performance targets that a small portion of its workers committed suicide). For smokers working in heartless corporations like Telstra, I'd suggest small lifestyle changes (join a gym, consult a nutritionist and therapist) before quitting, because if the workplace's insane policies don't get you, then your co-workers (bosses included) may inspire you to relapse and ingest nicotine (and sidestream smoke) faster than a Lollapalooza act.

Seriously, you may need to reassess your life if things are overwhelming. Separate your monthly bills from your well being. If a job is creating abnormal stress levels that may have adverse effects, like shortening your life span by presenting a host of physical symptoms (high blood pressure, insomnia, negative self talk, dietary extremes, etc), then it gains significance.

Take recessions. I personally find recessions a pain in the butt and this isn't based on my finances (realistically the less money/assets I have the less stress: I fewer decisions. It's not like I have to worry about my accountant, strata title rates, council rates, etc), it's based on employer stinginess. Many companies may not need to downsize, but a strange thing happens during recessions: they follow the same Jones' mentality. If corporate behemoth downsizes, then the smaller company will downsize, thinking that the larger company knows what its doing. That, I'm afraid, is a myth. Unfortunately, the worker bears the mental brunt. The stress is horrible, but the sobering reality is that many of these events are beyond a citizens control - I don't have enough space to go into governments, how they coddle corporations and let them shift work offshore and all that...
Most huge corporations have no idea what they're doing and many make stupid decisions or decisions that are too large for their means. Look at General Motors.
Bottom line: If you're job is health hazard to your physical and mental health, look for another job. The idea of solving everything and being a hero works better in films, television and comic books. Not real life.

Weeks into quitting, you may want to consider maintaining a regular physical regimen. I've noticed that quitters who don't have a higher chance of relapsing. The beauty of exercise is that it requires a fit body, and if you're not fit, each attempt -whether it be cycling, a gym class, walking - will make you fitter. Rome wasn't built in a day. Quitting nicotine is the same.

This is what I do on a daily basis:

I make sure that I walk to most places. I no longer avoid the vile group of smokers (office smokers, telemarketers, pub locals). And apologies in advance, but they are vile. Walking past these small groups alters my thought processes. I think: "Jesus, I used to smoke like that?" (Yes you did!), "God they stink!" (Like you stank.), "Don't they see the wretched habit for what it is?" (How long did it take you to see it?).

On Tuesdays, I am hardcore. I go to my regular spin class, and half way through the 45 minute session, usually during a hill climb when my lungs are screaming at me to stop, for me to continue, I mentally flagellate myself: "See, you'd be fitter if you didn't spent twenty years puffing away," and "You think this is bad, you want to start smoking again. You want to smoke another cigarette, bitch?"

Believe me (insert gloomy horror movie music), one spin class a week is enough to scare my socks off.
Quitting cigarettes isn't just about quitting an alleged craving. It's about altering the lifestyle and improving fitness.

How can you improve fitness if you're inhaling poison?
And that is what nicotine, but more importantly, the 500+ chemical ingredients in cigarettes are. Poison. Just think. The cigarette you're possibly inhaling, that you've probably inhaled (if you're an ex smoker), contains the same ingredients as toilet cleaner.