Once you’ve got through the hard parts of quitting smoking, benefits will start to show themselves to you and you’ll never know how you survived while you were smoking. Things will taste and smell better, people won’t recoil in horror at the smell of old cigarettes surrounding you, your lungs will be healthier and exercise will be easier. There is no reason why you should continue smoking.

Some of the first benefits of quitting smoking appear in just 20 minutes, but to see the real quitting smoking benefits, you will have to wait a few days and weeks – they will be worth it.

• 20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse return to normal
• 8 hours: Oxygen levels return to normal, carbon monoxide and nicotine levels in the blood drop by 50%
• 24 hours: Carbon monoxide is fully eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out the mucus and other debris that come from smoking
• 48 hours: All nicotine is removed from the body and the ability to taste and smell improves hugely
• 72 hours: The bronchial tubes become relaxed and energy levels increase, breathing becomes easier
• 2 – 12 weeks: Circulation improves and the function of the lungs increases
• 3 – 9­ months: All breathing problems, such as coughing and wheezing are improved as lung functions get 10% better
• 12 months: The excess risk of getting coronary heart disease drops by about half and gradually decreases
• 5 years: The risk of heart attack falls to half that of a regular smoker, risk of having a stroke returns to the level of people who have never smoked before
• 10 years: Your risk of lung cancer falls to half that of a regular smoker

Bearing all of these incredible benefits to quitting smoking, is there any reason why you wouldn’t quit smoking now?