Happy 2 Month Anniversary!

That's right folks, Today September 1st marks 2 months that I have been smoke-free! I really can't believe that I've actually stuck with it. I was the first one to say "I'm no quitter" in regards to quitting smoking cigarettes. I used to get so pissy when people would ask me when I was going to quit or tell me how bad it was for me. As though I didn't really know. And here I am 2 months smoke-free after not even wanting to quit. Who would've ever thought?

I've had 2 dreams about smoking in the 2 months since I quit which isn't bad. The most recent (if you read a few posts ago)dream I had absolutely no remorse for smoking that cigarette. In real life I would feel so guilty about it and beat myself up over having to start over again. Perhaps that dream was a hint for me to finally rid myself of all the cigarettes I still have around me daily. I still have a pack in my car, 1 cigarette in my desk at work and the rest of the carton still sitting on top of my fridge. Oh well, never know when one of my smoker friends will be out and I will be there to save the day for them. I'm just that awesome friend of course.

Let's discuss the changes I've felt/noticed since I quit smoking. Not much has changed really in the 2nd month except my weight. But in any case, here we go:

Teeth feel cleaner

Mouth feels clearner

I no longer feel like my breath stinks all the time

I've gained around 10lbs

I still can't run longer, matter of fact, I feel like I could run longer when I smoked vs being a quitter

I don't notice a difference in smell or taste (except a small handful of things taste gross to me now)

I still don't feel as though I substitute with food for the "hand to mouth" habit smokers usually have

I have run...ok mostly walked...a 5k

I get really super grumpy for about a week each month and No, it's NOT pms (or could it be? I've never noticed it before)

Oh, my moodswings seem to be more controlled but I still have them every now and again

I'm back to being a PITA to wake up in the mornings

my lips aren't brown anymore (I'll explain later)

I do notice the smell on smokers more now than I did before (I guess that contradicts what I mentioned earlier about smell)

I don't take as many breaks at work (the breaks I do take, aside from lunch, are to walk/run)

I think that is all. Well, that is all that I can think of right now and it is late so my mind is half way shut down. Let me elaborate and fill you in on the lip color thing. We used to laugh on our smoke breaks at work because once someone mentioned how they could always tell a smoker because their lips were brown (not pink). So we started looking at peoples lips and it was usually true. Ok so not so much brown like doo doo brown but they were slightly discolored. Well one day when I was in the bathroom at work, washing my hands, I looked in the mirror and laughed because I looked at my lip color. No, I wasn't wearing lipstain of any kind or lip gloss. FYI - I go to work without make-up because I'm too lazy to put it on every day. So the next time you look at someone who you know is a smoker check out their lip color.

Well this will conclude my 2 month celebration (so to speak). I will be celebrating my 3 month anniversary 2 days early with the Hot Chocolate run aka a big chocolate party. And if you guys were wondering if I lost count, I didn't. I am actually on day 63.

In terms of my running today...

I did not run today as I hadn't taken a day off since Sunday. My legs were so stiff this morning that I could barely walk when I got out of bed. I spent about half of the day walking funny before my muscles finally relaxed. I'm sure dehyrdation played a small part in it though. The heat this past week hasn't helped since I didn't accomodate my water intake for it. Tomorrow will be another busy day and I don't forsee me waking up at 6am to run before I paint my bedroom then head to tailgate before the Isotopes game (baseball).

Hope everyone is having a fun but safe Labor Day weekend.