Saturday, December 29, 2007

Rambling into the New Year

Well, it’s been a lovely Christmas holiday, except for the 2 days spent under the weather with a nasty flu. Both the Cowboy and the Bag Lady had it, so the house fell to pieces...sorta. There were very few dirty dishes (who could eat?)…mostly half-full glasses of water scattered here and there. The Bag Lady feels much better today, and is hoping the Cowboy will be back to normal again, too. They are supposed to be attending another family get-together tonight. Ordinarily, this get-together is held by his brother’s family on New Year’s Day, but they decided that this year if they held it before New Year’s Day, people wouldn’t have to work the next day and could hang around a little longer.

The Bag Lady is looking ahead to the New Year and trying to decide on a strategy for getting into better shape. She has to come up with something different, because, obviously, the old ways haven't worked.
Her most urgent problem is beating the smoking demon. She has quit twice in the past little while, but hasn’t managed to stay a non-smoker. She hates the way certain people look at her when they realize she has started again, but can’t seem to get to that place where the cravings for nicotine can be over-come. “Why can’t you just quit?” they ask. Obviously, it’s not that simple. The Bag Lady knows all the reasons for quitting, and agrees whole-heartedly. She knows several people who have been successful at quitting, and envies them greatly. She also knows that at least one of them craves a cigarette every day, but doesn’t give in to the craving. Good for her. The Bag Lady just isn’t at that place yet.

The Bag Lady reads several blogs written by healthy, active people, and she envies them greatly, too. Bunnygirl's tales of preparing for her upcoming marathon make the Bag Lady want to weep. Running is totally out of the question for the Bag Lady, not only because she is out of shape, but because she is so clumsy! This is one of the reasons she never travels…if she ever had to try to out-run a tsunami…or a wild dog…or a crazed sloth…(have you seen the claws on those things?!)
So the Bag Lady is open to helpful hints for quitting smoking and losing weight and getting into better shape. Any suggestions?
Notice she posted this on a weekend, during the holidays, when most people won't be around the blogosphere...hmmm, makes you wonder if she really IS committed to this, doesn't it?

12 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

I've seen the claws on a sloth. I wouldn't want to take on a crazed one either!
Do one thing at a time. I suggest you tackle the smoking first, and find something like toothpicks to put in your mouth to chew on while you do it.
It's been 27 years since I stopped and I still like the physical motions involved in having a smoke.
If you are susceptible to hypnosis, and suggestible as well, then it'll help,especially with the will power aspect of it.
That's all I've got for now.
P.S. If you've done it already, then you know what to expect and you can prepare for it.

the Bag Lady said...

dfLeah - thanks for the suggestion. The Bag Lady agrees that the smoking cessation has to come first...and finding something to replace the physical motion of smoking may indeed be a big help. She wishes she had been as smart as you were 27 years ago...

Reb said...

My Physio Therapist at the Cross tells me it takes people about 7 times to quit for good, so why don't I just quit one day a month or week and get it over with?

She is one of those optimists! The theory sounds good though, I have tried about four times now, so I am getting closer!

the Bag Lady said...

Seven times? Oh, crap. Perhaps repetition is the key?

Hilary said...

Actually it only takes once.. the right one. And you've made the first move.. publically announcing your intent. Now you feel the need to be accounatble. Good move! ;)

It's not an easy thing to do, but it sure is the right thing to do.. for yourself and for those around you that have to live with the smoke and have to live with seeing you do something harmful to yourself.

I quit 26 years ago, when I knew I wanted kids. I was bound and determined not to be smoking while pregnant and to have a smoke-free environment for my kidlets. Easily acheived because it took years to finally become pregnant.

I tried acupuncture which helped get me over the hump. Glasses of very icy water helped cut the cravings and hand-to-mouth habit.

Anyway.. you have a big cheering section right here.. so go Baggie!

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Hilary! The Bag Lady is going to need all the cheering section she can muster!

Crabby McSlacker said...

Bag Lady, that's awesome that you're getting ready to quit smoking!

And on the exercise, I think the important thing is to start slow and work on cultivating the habit. It's less important how much you do than you set easy goals and make it part of your routine and build VERY GRADUALLY.

Hooray for you!

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Crabby! The Bag Lady will pretty much have to start slow, she's been such a slacker for the past couple months!

Anonymous said...

I've never smoked, but maybe if you went for a walk or ate a piece of fruit when a craving kicked in (i know some of the difficulty in quitting smoking comes from the oral fixation part). Have you tried the gum or the patch? or you could put a picture of a lung with emphysema where you usually keep your cigarettes? It won't help the craving itself, but it may make you more resolved to quit. Also using your blog to post how many smoke free days have gone by would make you accountable.

But, like i said, i have no idea if this would work.

Anonymous said...

About the getting in shape, try walking. I'm a huge fan of yoga, and it does help with balance and coordination (just make sure to get a beginner DVD. Lifting weights (even small ones) or even canned soup or tuna, etc. can help too (I made my 74 year old aunt do strength training exercises with tuna cans).In the summer, go swimming (it's seriously the best exercise, as it's both aerobic and muscle building. And there's no stress on you joints).

the Bag Lady said...

Tricia, thanks for the suggestions. The Bag Lady has tried the patch (made her itch) and the old style nicotine gum gave her a stomach ache. They have improved the gum, which she did use the last time she quit, so that will definitely be on the list. The fruit is a good idea, 'cause the Bag Lady needs to lose some weight, too, and that's part of what keeps her smoking. She knows with her oral fixation, she's going to want to put other stuff in her mouth, and fruit will be far better than chocolate, right?
(Using the blog to make me accountable would be like, umm, actually committing myself, wouldn't it? That's probably a good idea, too. Sigh.)

the Bag Lady said...

Oops, we posted at the same time. The Bag Lady did yoga last year and really enjoyed it, she just needs to get back at it. She isn't very good at it, so doing it with a DVD in her living room is best. The dog and the cats help by either bringing me toys (the dog) or winding around my legs (the cats). Makes it interesting.