My plan to free myself from nicotine included an exercise program. I theorized that if I punished my body enough, it would cry out for me to take better care of it. Some of my student s had a basketball team in a local league. I was 33 at the time, so they were 10 to 15 years younger than I was. I told them that I wanted to start playing again, and they invited me to a practice game.
I had been a decent basketball player in my teens, but I hadn’t played competitive sports for a long time. I played about 10 minutes the first time, and when it was over, I told myself that I didn’t need to punish my body that much.
But the kids wouldn’t let me quit.
I didn’t stick to the date I set for breaking my habit. It took about a month of lapses after my target date had come and gone before I quit for good. During that month, I would steal a smoke from time to time—never more than one cigarette in a day. I didn’t know it then, but I was still in stage 2 when I set my target date. I was aware of the damage that smoking was doing to my body and to my relationships, but I hadn’t made a serious commitment to change.
My lapses taught me that breaking the habit was going to cost more than I thought. I started my real preparation one day after my target date , the first time I lapsed. The month- long period of lapses after my target date became my stage 3—the preparation period that allowed me to be successful. That’s not the best way to do it, but it worked.
The most important part of my preparation was my commitment to a more active lifestyle. My new teammates wouldn’t let me quit. I played on their team for two years. I paid for new uniforms and warm- up suits before one important statewide tournament.
I didn’t realize it then, but I unders tand now that the new uniforms were a motivator and a reward—my motivation to stay commit ted to a healthier lifestyle, and my teammates’ reward for supporting me.
