talkmagic.co.uk

If you eat correctly, the rest should all fall into place. If you eat more fruit, it will give you more energy to start exercising and be able to get out of bed easier in the morning. Personally, i like to wake up with a smoothie made entirely of fresh fruit (Mango, pineapple, lemon, orange, banana, fruit juice (not exactly fresh fruit, but thins out the mixture a bit), and any other fruit i like), and after a week or two of drinkin about 400ml in the morning (together with a healthy breakfast, and eating a lot healthier than i had been doing throughout the day) i found it really easy to get up in the morning, felt less lathargic throughout the day, and my skin started to look a lot healthier.

This, in turn, will mean that you go to the gym and will actually be able to have a good workout without feeling completely exhausted after. The added fruit in your diet will provide more protein to your body to help you develop more muscle mass to increase your strength and size for the police force. Im no expert, but a friend of mine has joined and said that you have to join the gym to keep fit because it just makes your job so much easier when your able to keep up a chase, etc.

Add this to the benefits of quitting smoking, and you'll be well on your way to beating all 4 of your goals!

Dat8962,

I can't disagree on any of your points. None of my perspectives are universal or objective truths. In law enforcement there are many perspectives. I tried to give a viewpoint that is much less optimistic, which generally discourages those who probably shouldn't be there in the first place. Those who are in it for either the excitement or bullying or think it is like television.

However, Eckozero seems to have his stuff together and I agree that if that didn't put him off, he should pursue it.

Achimage

Same sentiments here and I did think that your posts gave this and also a balanced perspective. I think that we were trying to achieve the same thing.

On the food side, buy a good nutritional magazine such as Muscle and Fitness from WH Smiths

Thanks everyone

I'll be looking into that book, and now that magazine... and with ths page bookmarked I can return to positive comments to help me going if things start sliding.

Thank you guys, now you can see why I posted it here rather than my other forums... you guys are great. Helpful and objective and trying to keep me headed in the right direction, even if it does mean seeing if I'll fall along the way

Really couldn't imagine a better bunch of people to share my wasted year with, or to kickstart my hopefully fantastic year

Woah, great tips here where given!
Don't forget the most important thing: As in magic, never quit (well... except for smoking... ) You've already done the hardest part, that is to have a reality check and cercle the probleme. We all believe in you and support you as well!
I didn't know you for long but you certainly looks like an happy folks and you got a british accent, nothing can go wrong when you got one! (Man I wish I had lol! I find it soooo cool!) so cheers, and Happy B-Day from Québec!

lol Thanks dude.
I've given up on the "giving up is for quitters" idea which might help some

As for the British accent, I'm not sure how helpful it will be in real terms, but thanks for the support

With my TM friends rooting for me, and my determination to sort my life out, I'm really hoping this is a start of a great year

I quit smoking 4 years ago after 37 years or so on the weed (yes, I know, all that money and potential health damage!) and it’s a straightforward process. Not easy by any means but certainly straightforward. Carr’s book will give you excellent reasons to help quit – not how to quit but the reasons why and he also shows the fallacy of the usual reasons why smokers don’t manage to quit. ‘It’s my only pleasure’ – no, it’s really not very pleasant at all. ‘We all have to die some time’ True but why not after having made love all night to a bevy of beauties rather than in writhing agony as you cough your guts up and almost look forward to the release from the pain of cancer?

There are two aspects to quitting – one is to minimise the dependency on nicotine, the other (equally as hard) is to get away from the habit of smoking. These are two distinct considerations which are individually very hard to overcome and together they’re even harder but it can be done. I used Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in the form of mint lozenges – patches are fine but you don’t stick a ciggie on your arm, neither do you squirt it up your nose or chew them like gum. The action of taking out the box of lozenges, opening it, selecting one lozenge and placing it the mouth is very close to the habit action of smoking so that part continues without interuption. NRT really does work as long as you are positive about it and are prepared to see it through – 12 weeks is all you need. There are different strengths of lozenge these days so you start with a strong one for 3 weeks, then a lower strength progressively reducing the strength and the amount of times per day you use them. Beware that after about 6 weeks of success the sly Madame Nicotine can give you the idea that you are now OK and jut one puff to prove it won’t do any harm. Trust me – it will! One puff and you’re a smoker again and will need to start over. If this happens, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, just carry on and be determined to take it further this time. After 6 months is also a dangerous time – the urge to try it will be quite strong so keep some NRT handy just in case. It’s very important to reward yourself – you’ll be saving money so spend it on yourself – be selfish, you’re worth it. A fine and expensive meal, a particular CD, a new jacket, or do something which you might not normally do. Make up any silly games you like to keep yourself focussed – I kept a newspaper cutting with a photo of a certain Tory MP who is also on the board of a tobacco firm. He had a large cigar in his fat gob and a smirk on his face. I just figured he was getting all the perks of the job and a huge salary simply because I was handing over cash each day at the tobacconists. Rather than will power I used ‘hate’ power instead. I blamed him for it all and that anger was enough to keep the determination going. Daft but it worked! The pleasing aspect was that during the first year of quitting, I paid for a short holiday in Switzerland using only the money not spent on cigarettes.

Some Doctors will run quit sessions, Boots and other Chemists also run them but if there isn’t one handy, make very good use of your nearest pharmacist. They can be very supportive, may be able to provide free NRT items and will take time to discuss the pros and cons of each type. You can also try a selection of different ones to see which you prefer. NRT is vital and I’d go so far as to say it’s almost impossible to quit by going cold turkey only. Some folks do it that way but using NRT is the easier option and you need all the help you can get. For a few weeks, avoid situations and places where you usually smoke or where others smoke. This means pubs and clubs are probably out for a while. Explain to your family and mates what you’re doing and why – in many cases they will be supportive and avoid smoking when you’re around. It might also give them the idea to quit as well. Share what’s going on with others – I used the Nicotinell forum and exchanged moans and groans with many others – it really does help. Finally, you might have noticed that I refer to quitting rather than giving up. Quit is a sharp decisive word which describes exactly what’s happening, Giving up is a weak and slushy phrase and not at all supportive. In any event, as Allen Carr says , what are you giving up? Nothing, you’re actually gaining an awful lot. I’m acutely aware that it will take only one cigarette for me to be a smoker again but that’s OK, I can just say that yes I used to smoke but I don’t any more, I’ve moved on. If you’re concerned about putting on weight then take no notice. As your system will start to work more efficiently and your dulled sense of taste and smell gets back to normal, you may very well eat more and enjoy it. You can always diet - no worries but don’t try and quit and diet at the same time – failure in both is very likely!

Carr will give you the mental ammo, NRT the chemical support, and your slight change of lifestyle the extra strength to quit. Sorry for such a long sermon but it all worked for me and one or two others so it might do the same for you. Let me know if I can do anything else to help.

I won't wish you the best of luck - you've already quite clearly made the decison to quit which is a huge step in the right direction so I wish you strength and support instead. Now just carry on and quit!

EckoZero wrote:As for the British accent, I'm not sure how helpful it will be in real terms, but thanks for the support

It might not be quite such a novelty in Cambridge!

As for fitness, I would certainly recomend a routine. I have no problems whatsoever getting up early to go for a hard canoe session every saturday morning but the extra 15 minutes to cycle to work during the week makes me tremble because I don't do it regularly enough. It's another mental effort, and one which will be much easier to surmount with a routine or a partner.

I wont quote you Mandrake because that was a mammoth post... but thanks That's really helpful to know actually.

Most of my problems with quitting smoking in the past have been the actual ditching of the habit rather than the dependency.
Nicotine doesn't do much for me and the "cravings" I get, are normally symbolised by my fingers grabbing anything nearby, spinning them, putting them to my mouth etc, rather than the usual headaches and dry mouth that people claim to get.

Although that said, I make no claims to not be dependant on nicotine. So I think that tomorrow (today now officially being my birthday, and the chance of me starting quitting ina pub being nil..) I'm going to head down to Lloyds and have a word with the pharmacist and see what he/she/it can suggest.

Thanks dude I don't need luck... as you said, I've already decided to quit. All I need is the kind of support you great people are giving. Thanks guys


And nickj, your comments are greatly appreciated too.
Exercise is a routine, and one that I used to have down to an artform. Finish school, come home, sit down, get changed, go to the gym...

Then I kind of slipped off the way. But I was only going then because I thought I was fat and ugly (not a confidence problem I have anymore thankfully)

The routine I can probably get into again, but having a training partner really is hugely helpful as you rightly pointed out.

I don't suppose anyone here lives near me and wants to be my training partner?

Here's my tuppence worth young man...

1. Quit Smoking: Remember that the one of the reasons you'll miss smoking is the physical action of smoking - doing anything in repition becomes a habit and occasional blindness...

nicotine only survives in your blood stream for 3 days roughly, after that - it's all psychological...you already like cards - sooooo...everytime your brain is shouting "oy - why arent you performing the cigarette actions?" interrupt that pattern with a very difficult and irritating to learn one handed cut or something similar something that'll involve your brain for a while...

or if youre going to give up gradually - everytime you want a fag, wait another 15 minutes...that way, for every 4 you've smoked, you've spent another hour if you see what i mean...therefore cutting out the need for say another fag...

2. Starting exercising again: well, if you wanted to tie in couple of these points into one - why not start boxing? severe discipline, training of all major areas, would help you cope with joining the Police (if youve never experienced a full punch to the nose for example- you're in for a shock)...and the fags would be a definate no-no...head-guards etc to save yer mush too...plus it builds alot of cofindence too...


3. Eating more healthily - well, if you do the boxing thing, you'll be able to indulge occasionally, plus its always nice to eat a heap load of chicken or steak eh...porridge in the mornings with fruit will fill you up, lower cholesterol and give plenty of energy..just dont make it with cream and loadsa sugar obviously...

4. Happy Birthday....

Thank you for the happy birthday abraxus !

Well, I'm going to be quitting proper on either Friday (tomorrow) or Saturday. Obviously making it through work will be the hardest, but I'll see how it goes

I got a new digital camera today, and when i wanted a fag an hour ago, I sa down and made a video of the orion count. It kept me busy (it only took about a minute to do) and then I could watch it over, make a mental checklist and improve it. Which I did, and I still havent had the fag I wanted then

Not sure about boxing, I don't like the idea of being punched in the head a lot I've been in a few fights before and have taken several blows to the head... and they hurt! lol
But seriously, I was looking into karate, as I figured learning moves and katas and stuff would give me something to do, improve my stamina and would take my mind off smoking (you can't really have a fag whilst you're prancing around in the back garden doing katas...) so with my new "I AM going to do something this year..." I just asked my mate for the details on karate

Hopefully I'll be going down there in 2 weeks and getting started!

And I really don't like porridge... any other advice on healthy breakfast?
I like weetabix... are they any good for you?
Weetabix and a glass of orange juice every morning?

Also, I'm going to tart drinking more water again. I used to drink 6 litres a day ( I know!!) and i felt much better for it. So did my skin
So back to drinking lots of water


Thanks again for all the help guys

..weetabix yup - mix in some yoghurt after its soaked up the milk (might sound dodgy but its tasty) and a few sultanas and raisins if you wanted...

boxing - well, you dont have to go full on - just a bit of sparring and the actual training itself will more than do the job, especially stamina wise...handy if youre racing down the street and sliding over car bonnets like starsky and hutch...

karate is ok - wado ryu is a good style to learn in my opinion, tai chi would be good for general fitness and balance, but aikido would be better, more close up work...all those high kicks and fancy moves mean nothing in reality especially when handling drunken bottle wielding idiots...

"excuse me, i need a little space to defend myself would you mind awfully stepping back please sir"...

going back to the gaspers though (sorry, cigarettes) - you could always try a few NLP style visualisations...imagining and emphasising the taste and stench of the fag, making you feel sicker and sicker with each puff...and seeing yourself in a hospital bed decaying and seeping tar from every pore...yummy...

ahhh being a teenager, im thankful all that business is out of the way...

though overall, dont be too hard on yourself "wasting a year" - if you spending it amusing yourself and not hurting yourself or anyone else - thats a pretty good year in my book...your life is (within reason and certain perameters) your own after all, do with it what you really want...having fun is never a waste of time...just have a go at anything/everything that you fancy...and avoid anything that doesnt feel completely right for you deep down...

im still avoiding a mortgage at the age of 33, got a job that lets me have plenty of time to explore the things i love or am curious about - i take care of my friends and family...drink a little, mess about a bit, admire Kirsty Gallacher, write, design, learn things...what could be finer....ahhh bisto...

Sounds like once you got past your teenage years it all started picking up

Nah the reason i felt like I'd wasted a yer, is because last year, all i did was sit around looking for a job for 6 months and got absolutely no where. Other than that I did... nothing at all...

And then I joined college. Great thinks I, a chance to do something... then I find myself hating my college, my teacher, my course and myself for wastng another 6 months dong something I can't stand.


But this year will be different, because I really cannot be doing with looking back on a year and say "Wow. Once again, I did NOTHING..."

Thanks for all the continuing support guys (I just managed to get myself a traing partner as well!!! )

it did! just you wait whipper-snapper!

once you settle into your own skin, late 20s/early 30s - you do gain a certain and different kind of confidence; you learn how to escape certain pitfalls...

..though you do still enjoy thowing yourself down them on occasion...

Something to look forward to as I get older then

Whipper snapper indeed...
At 19 I'm an old man now!

what's that you say sonny? speak up....

...where's my ear-trumpet?