Hanging with My "Bud" on Smokeless Monday (Day 25)

After declaring to the world that Sunday would be my last day of smoking real cigarettes, I knew I had a big challenge ahead of me when I got up on Monday. To change the pattern, instead of my usual routine of sitting on the deck with a cup of coffee while I enjoyed my morning smoke, I got dressed right away and got busy picking up the house. Then I had a few drags off my "Bud" (my e-cig), allowed myself a little coffee, and headed out for some exercise. The "Bud" has nicotine in it, and a cool strawberry flavor, but none of the other carcinogens found in cigarettes. The theory is that it helps me not be a total bitch while I am kicking the habit. I guess we'll see how that goes as the week progresses! 

I wasn't in the mood for leaving the house, so I decided to tackle the stairs again, but with a little personal challenge thrown in. Ever since my brain surgery, I have struggled with feeling off balance, and even though I don't really hang on, I usually run my hand along the railing as I go down, just as a "safety." So I challenged myself to not touch the railing at all, either on the way up or down. But since it made me feel unsteady, it made a difference in my pace, and I felt a little worried that I might stumble as I became more tired. I managed to do 37 trips in 30 minutes, took three minutes to rest, and then pushed myself to do 10 more trips in eight minutes. Monday's total: 38 minutes and 47 trips--I'll take it!

Towards the end, I definitely felt the urge to run my hand along the railing just to steady myself, but I resisted as much as I could. I didn't stumble, but I definitely felt uncomfortable, especially on the way down. I also noticed not using the railing as a "safety" forced me to stand up straighter and move differently, which I felt later in the evening when my lower back began to stiffen up a little bit. Amazing how changing just that small thing worked my body differently. I'm not sure yet if it's a good thing, but it was liberating to abandon my "safety." It may seem like a small thing to you, but to me, it was a big deal!

The rest of the day was okay for a Monday, and I made the boys a chicken, broccoli, mac & cheese casserole for dinner but forgot to get a picture of it. They really liked it, and although I would rather just have the plain mac and cheese, I did have a very small portion. I also managed to drink two liters of water, and a couple glasses of tea, throughout the day. I am happy that I am finally to the point that my water intake is better. And I managed to make it all day with just the occasional drag off my "Bud."

 Until after dinner when I had one real cigarette. But that one was enough. 

Going from close to a pack a day to one cigarette on my first day? I'll guess I'll count it as a partial win, and remind myself that it can only get better from here. This is a life-changing project, and Rome wasn't built in a day. It's going to be a long journey to finding the old me on my "lose weight, gain health" journey. Thankfully, tomorrow is another day, and I hope I'll see you then!