Quiting Bad Habits:

The effects of some bad habits - smoking, in particular - can haunt you for decades. But the damage from other habits - especially those that affect the circulatory system - can be largely offset. Any time you improve your behaviour and make lifestyle changes, they make a difference from that point. The day you quit smoking, the carbon monoxide levels in your body drop dramatically. Within weeks, your blood becomes less sticky and your risk of dying from a heart attack starts to decline. Adopting healthy habits won't cure all that ails you, of course. But doctors believe that many chronic diseases - from diabetes and high blood pressure to heart disease and even some cancers - can be warded off with a few sensible changes in lifestyle. Not sure where to start? Surprisingly, it doesn't matter, since one positive change usually leads to another. Make enough changes, and you'll discover you've adopted a new way of life. It won't make you invincible or doctors unnecdessary, and you can't wait forever. But you'll never know how much damage you can undo if you don't try. It's nver too late to.