Today is the Great American Smokeout, an annual observation designed to jump-start smoking cessation efforts across the nation.

In Pennsylvania, there is more incentive to participate than usual. The Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect in September, so many restaurants, bars, bowling alleys and other places of business now are off limits for smoking.

Instead of going outside for a cigarette break, try what the American Cancer Society has been encouraging people to do since 1976: Quit for one day, the third Thursday of November.

Skipping that first cigarette may be the hardest part, but health benefits will start accruing immediately. Just 20 minutes after quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure will drop. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood will be normal.

If you keep it up -- quitting permanently is the real goal of the smokeout -- in just one year your risk of heart disease will be half that of a smoker.

If for no other reason, quit as a role model for young people. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says 17.5 percent of Pennsylvania's high school students smoke, and 18,400 more kids become regular smokers every year.

Try quitting. You'll soon be breathing easier for it.