Day 22: Body and Mind Update

Thought I would give you an update of how my body is doing since I have not been ingesting all of the toxins in cigarette smoke.  I guess this overview will also give you an idea of how terrible my body used to feel.

• My sense of smell and taste have improved quite a bit.  I have noticed that processed foods are way too salty for my tastes.  The food I cook from scratch usually needs more salt though, which is kind of strange.  Where's the balance?  Ha!  My sinuses are no longer clearing themselves out the way they did earlier in my quit.
• I do not have canker sores or a sore throat like I did last week.  Going through a week of mouth pain was a really good way for me to get through some cravings.  I thought of all the toxins leaving the tissues in my throat and mouth.  I thought of how my body is adjusting to not having smoke sear my throat and how my gums now have a chance of not receding.
• My eyes used to be bloodshot and watery by the end of the evening.  This is not happening any more.  My eyes are clear and they do not burn unless I am extremely tired.
• It is so nice not to smell cigarettes on my fingers and hair.  
• I am really sensitive to the smell of smoke on other people, their clothes, automobiles and breath.
• My chest no longer hurts by the end of the day or when I take deep breathes.  I am not constantly coughing up phlegm.  I am not breathing heavy by the end of the night.
• I am not dizzy or nauseous.  I do not feel vertigo if I stand up too quickly.  
• Every night before bed I would pray for the strength to quit tomorrow.  Now before bed I give thanks for another day of no nicotine.
• My energy levels have increased dramatically.  Now I know when I am tired it is because I may have lost sleep.  When I smoked cigarettes I would lose energy by 10 am and not be able to recover for the rest of the day.  I knew how many cigarettes I could smoke before this loss of energy.  I used to call it my, "poison levels".  Serious.
• My thinking, analyzing and deductive skills are all much clearer.  My productivity has increased and I am having an easier time concentrating.
• I am not losing patience as easily due to needing a cigarette.  I still don't have a lot of patience but now I can not blame it on withdrawal.
• I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I snack throughout the day.  I drink a lot of water.  I take vitamins every single day.  When I smoked I would go a whole day forgetting to eat.  The only time I would remember to eat is if my blood sugar became so low that I would shake.  I do not shake anymore.
• I exercise.  I run up the stairs in my house.  I take the stairs at the library.  I walk if I can.  I think about what types of exercises I want to do when it warms up.  I am thinking about extending my daughter's membership at the Y to a family membership.  I am setting goals, such as completing the Incline on my 90 day anniversary.
• I do not immediately think of cigarettes upon waking, eating, sleeping or anything else.  The only time I think of a cigarette is during a trigger.  The fact that I am thinking of other things when I wake up feels amazing.  I hated waking up and the first thing I thought of was a cigarette.