by Kevin Carbone

Smoking cigarettes will kill you! This is not an exaggeration or lie. 440,000 deaths each year in the United States alone are caused by smoking. Take a look at the bleak numbers below as compiled by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:

As can be seen by this chart, smoking is an unwise practice. Amazingly it is an unwise practice that is done by people who otherwise may be intelligent and sensible in most other areas of their life. Many are loving, caring, warm people who... Wait! Hold it! Sorry, I can't be nice anymore. I have to say what I really think... Smoking is not only unwise but down right stupid! Let's face it, smoking is dirty, disgusting, repulsive, smelly, ugly, obnoxious, offensive, revolting, loathsome, unsightly, hideous, idiotic, damages nearly every organ in the human body, makes other people sick with secondhand smoke, and is an accused and proven killer.

There... It had to be said. Wash my mouth out with soap if it makes you feel better, but I had to say it loud and clear. Stop now or deal with the inevitable consequences of ruined health and early death later on. Check Yourself. Don't Wreck Yourself. Stop Smoking Now!

Listen up folks, the reason that smokers find it so hard to quit is because they are physically and mentally addicted to the nicotine found in tobacco. Most people start smoking as teenagers for a variety of reasons such as rebellion, peer acceptance, to be hip and cool, to be grown up, etc. Teenagers often suffer from what I refer to as the immortality complex. This is when kids feel invulnerable and nothing bad can ever happen to them, only to somebody else. They feel that they have total control over their smoking habit and can stop at any time they really want. The problem is that a lot of folks don't outgrow the habit because of the nicotine addiction and smoking has become ingrained in their everyday lifestyle since they were kids.

The fact is few people start smoking for the first time when they are in their twenties or older, they start when they are young and easily impressionable teenagers. In the past, tobacco companies played up on this fact by pushing their advertising to attract a younger and more easily addicted crowd. Because of stricter laws cigarette advertising is now just about ancient history and smoking in public places is prohibited in many areas. In fact, in the United States, tobacco companies are actually telling young people not to smoke, mainly because of the result of huge lawsuits being brought against them. However, tobacco companies are now looking to foreign countries in order to push their "cancer sticks". It seems that many foreign countries are very lax in their smoking laws and public awareness is low concerning the dangers of smoking. Just like flies to you know what, the tobacco companies are taking full advantage of this ignorance and are peddling their poison to the uninformed and uneducated in other parts of the world.

However, let's face facts for a moment. Although the government is doing a good job of enacting anti-smoking laws and increased public awareness, it really all boils down to the individual and whether they will take heed and stop smoking. A person needs motivation, determination, will power and a stick-to-it attitude in order to succeed. Actually these are the very traits that are developed through a bodybuilding / fitness program and I think it can safely be said that most people who follow a fitness lifestyle and watch their health are not smokers. There is no way that smoking could fit into a bodybuilding / aerobic exercise program or any sports activity where wind and endurance are important. It would be totally counterproductive and would definitely derail your progress.

It would make sense for someone who wants to quit smoking to also start an exercise and proper eating program at the same time. The combined effect of this "total shape-up" program would start to pay off big time in a few short weeks or months as your body and mental attitude go through a rebuilding and cleansing transformation. This is the shock your body and mind need to blast yourself into a new state of being where you will look good, feel good, and you'll start to notice many positive things like your sense of taste and smell returning.

If you need help in starting an exercise program check out our FitnessSource1.com Guide to Bodybuilding and Fitness - Your First Year. If you need help quitting smoking check out Stop Smoking Once And For All. This is a program with a lot of valuable advice written by a lifelong smoker who quit smoking for good. The following free sites are also very helpful:

www.stopsmokingcenter.net

www.whyquit.com

www.tobaccofree.org

www.thetruth.com (aimed at young people)

www.cdc.gov/tobacco (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The following information on the effects of smoking is from the United States Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/tobacco. I feel that this is important information that should be taught in high schools or even earlier such as seventh and eighth grade in Health and Science classes. These are facts compiled by the United States Government and I feel that they should be treated as serious as any other subject such as math or history. Students should be taught, tested, and quizzed with ample time for discussion groups where their thoughts could be aired. This information on smoking could prove to be some of the most useful knowledge that they will take into the real world and has the potential to improve and save thousands of lives down the road.

I know the following is a lot of information to absorb, but if you are a teenager you are at the age when most people start smoking. You need to know the cold, hard facts without any sugar coating or fluff. After all, we're talking about your life and well being here. Talk to your friends and explain to them that they are being pawns to the big tobacco companies and show them the facts presented here. Show them by your good example that you don't have to smoke to be accepted or to be a hip person. In fact, you are showing more rebellion today by not smoking!

Also, it's only natural for teenage girls to want to look attractive and smoking is one of the worst things that they can do. Not only will their hair and body smell like stale smoke, but it will yellow and stain their teeth and cause wrinkles down the road. And keep in mind this is in addition to all the other health problems caused by smoking.

If you are a parent, be sure to show this information to your kids and teach them by your good example of a smoke-free home. It ain't easy, but nothing that's worthwhile ever is. Like I said before, this is a lot of information, but it is well worth the time and effort and could help to save lives in the future. Check Yourself. Don't Wreck Yourself. Stop Smoking Now!