Habit to Drop: Smoking

Years added: 10
Use the extra time to: Run for office and serve terms as mayor, town council member, or school board president

Did you know that a mere 20 minutes after you quit smoking, your heart rate and blood pressure drop? After one smoke-free year, your risk of developing heart disease is cut in half. When you have been a nonsmoker for 10 years, your likelihood of dying from lung cancer drops to about half the risk that continuing smokers face. Experts estimate that by clearing the air around you and cleaning the carcinogens out of your system, you can live as many as 10 years longer than you would if you didn't quit.

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