I’m a personal trainer and chef here in Toledo. I have led a mostly healthy lifestyle for several years now, after a monumental weight loss of 150 pounds six and a half years ago. But there was always one thing standing in my way of being truly healthy: smoking.
I smoked cigarettes for 22 years. It was my deep, dark secret as a trainer and health professional. It was one thing I could not beat, the only goal on my list I couldn’t reach. I had quit over a dozen times. I tried everything — patches, lozenges, cold turkey, medications, you name it. I just wasn’t ready, emotionally, to let go of my addiction to cigarettes. The truth was, I didn’t believe I was strong enough to overcome my chemical addiction to cigarettes. I was afraid I would fail.
A friend told me about electronic cigarettes and “vaping.” She had quit smoking traditional cigarettes several years before. I decided to give it a try.
Quitting smoking, like almost everything in life, requires a game plan. I had to be ready to quit.
I had to decide that going to the store and buying a pack of cigarettes was not an option. I had to quit for me and only me this time. All my friends and family have been harping on me to quit for years, and obviously that negative motivation didn’t work, or I would have quit years ago. I had to do this for me, for my health, for my life.
For me, using an e-cig made quitting tobacco a real possibility. I felt like it was actually going to be manageable.
On average, a pack of cigarettes costs $6 (not on sale, no coupon, with all the sin taxes added on). That’s $2,190 a year if you smoke one pack a day. An average electronic cigarette starter kit is $11.99-$75.
Alternately, health insurance companies have cessation programs to help you purchase nicotine gum, lozenges, patches, etc. Find out how much reimbursement you can get and at the same time when you can change your health/life insurance policies from a “smoker” to a “nonsmoker.”
I have a new lease on life. I feel amazing. I don’t have to stand out in the cold to smoke anymore. Also, my tastebuds have begun to return to normal, which as a chef is really important. My performance at the gym has also improved. I set a new personal record (and made it on the gym scoreboard) for rowing after I quit. I feel an immense pride in myself for quitting smoking and for sticking to it. Jan. 25 was my 90-day mark. I’ve made it three months!
My family and friends are proud of me, which feels amazing.
I track my progress on a free phone app called Smoke Free Beta. It shows me in real time how long I’ve gone without smoking, how much money I’ve saved ($833.63), hours of life regained and so much more!
Tracy Plumb-Ruiz is a personal trainer at Trainer Tracy 419 and executive chef/owner of Boutique Chic Chef. Contact her at tracy@trainertracy419.com or at trainertracy419.com.
