I know writing an article on overcoming addiction and getting fit doesn’t seem like something I would have experience with, but I do. It’s not the easiest story to tell because I have come a long way. Even though I am not an expert at overcoming addiction, I do hope my story and tips below will provide you value in your journey to live a fit, healthy, fulfilling life.
Overcoming Addiction And Getting Fit
I have come a long way from the bar scene of poor food choices, binge drinking and yes, smoking. A LOT of smoking. Overcoming addiction and getting fit was not in my plan. Not in that order anyway. And it DID NOT happen overnight. It kind of evolved. But through a series of choices. Smart choices. Ones that eventually got me results, have made life much better, happier and healthier. But is was a process. If you can relate, I would love to hear from you and how it is going for you.
This is a story I haven’t shared before, but I think is remarkable. I used to be a smoker.. I started smoking as kind of a “fun thing” to do in college. It was cigars and some clove cigarettes. They kind of gave you a buzz and made partying a lot more fun. Eventually that evolved into menthol cigarettes. I did not like the regular ones since I thought they tasted nasty. So I got the minty kind. What a joke.
Well that began a great addiction. One that lasted for many years. 13 years to be exact. And not just occasionally. I am talking 2 packs a day. And I justified it with smart ass remarks like, “Smoking is slow death, but who wants to die fast anyway?”
So, at some point I moved to a “healthier” cigarette as I heard menthol crystalizes in your lungs and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to my lungs. SERIOUSLY? And I didn’t even know if the menthol thing was true. But that was my thinking. So I switched to a longtime favorite… Marlboro Lights.
To be honest, I liked smoking. Even if I had to jump through hoops to have a cig. Yes, smoking was gross, inconvenient, hazardous and I still liked it. Most of my friends did not smoke and tried to get me to quit. But hey, I was addicted. Sure, I tried to be considerate and not smoke in the house or in the car. I used to smoke in public places because it was not illegal at that time. Eventually many laws came into play to make it more inconvenient. Still, I was hooked and in the game.
()__)_____)))# When I woke up. Have a Cig.
()__)_____)))# After I ate, have a cig.
()__)_____)))# Drive to work, have 2 or 3 cigs.
()__)_____)))# Go on break, a minimum of two cigs back to back
()__)_____)))# Go to a friend or family’s house, strategize how to break away to have cigs
()__)_____)))# Go out for drinks on a Saturday night, chalk me up for at least a pack
You get the picture.
Now, during those 13 years I quit several times. I tried hypnosis, going cold turkey and even the patch. It was easy. I just never stuck to quitting. I was a smoker. I was good at it. It liked it. Nicotine Addiction at its best. Over those years I played softball, bowling, volleyball and while sometimes my lungs hurt, it wasn’t too bad. Well… for most of those years. Smoking caught up with me.
Every time I went to the doctor, I expected a “pre cancer or you have cancer ” sort of thing, giving me the final ultimatum I needed to quit. But no ultimatum came. Just a “you should stop” sort of thing. Which meant to me… “keep smoking if you want to.”
As you would expect, in time, my lungs hurt and my breathing was very poor. I would develop bronchitis (no fun) form time to time. GET THIS… so I could breathe, I discovered this product called, Primatene Mist. Now that stuff was heavy on my lungs, but I found it allowed me to breathe a bit better which meant I could smoke without struggling. At one point I found myself going though the LARGEST Primatene Mist containers A WEEK. Later I learned that Primatene Mist was worse for my lungs than the smoking. UNREAL. It’s amazing my lungs just didn’t collapse or stop working.
I hit my ultimatum. I had a choice to make. Thing was… it would be easy to make a changes for a bit and then go back to smoking. That’s the way addiction works. It draws you back in.
So, your WHY and your passion to succeed has to far surpass your fear of failure. I now had a super, intense why. I was not going to be a victim any more. I was going to empower myself. I knew I would face temptations, and times of vulnerability. I needed to make a plan for when those low points would happen.
So, I jumped in. I quit via “the patch.” My brain kept telling me that it wouldn’t work. As toxins left my body, I had signals of intense withdrawal and hallucinational moments. I have cravings for cigs and food. I turned to gum and candy. LOTS of it! It was hard, but it was necessary. Figure that.. breathing became necessary, LOL
Of course I started the trend of gaining weight like many do. But gaining weight was something I figured I could get control of eventually. So I thought.
With a combination of slowly, but successfully quitting smoking, a constant flow of drinking Mountain Dew (12-14 2-Liter Bottles a week), pizza and eating into technology more and more where I sat on my butt each day, well you get the idea of where the gut size kept getting bigger and bigger.
But the big thing… I was FREE OF CIGARETTES!
Overcoming Addiction and Getting Fit
You read above how my WHY to quit smoking became stronger than the fear of failing. Well, I was faced with another WHY. I did not want to get fat. I did not want to be dreading stairs or walking across parking lots if I couldn’t find a parking space close enough to a store. I did not want to be cranky, achy, miserable. And I didn’t want to get diabetes like many in my family were facing. I wanted to be happy. I discovered a way and it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to have to work at getting healthy and fit. I wanted a quick fix. But those don’t exist.
Enter the story on my road to getting fit. Here is the link to that story how I over came my most devastating obstacle… the loss of my wife in a car crash and how P90X helped me overcome depression.
Once I conquered the fear of failing and kept my WHY in front of me, doors of opportunity opened.
The journey to getting fit is not easy. But it is way easier than overcoming addiction. The battle is day by day. And you need a plan. You can find plans online. You can join a gym. You can make me your free personal coach and I can help you formulate a plan.
Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? I say Yes! Are you worth it? OF COURSE!
Composing this article came to me after I finished a super crazy cardio workout that would never have dreamed I could do. Not with the lungs of a smoker! But I am so grateful to have made the decision to turn things around! And I love helping others turn things around. It would be an honor to coach you!
Please comment below or find me on Facebook so we can chat. I look forward to hearing your story!
Overcoming Addiction And Getting Fit – Are You Ready To Take Control?
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Perry Tinsley
Skype: perrytinsley
Email: Perry@PutYourselfFirst.com
“I Help People Get Results With Their Health And Fitness Goals”
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