Vegetarian Star

Alexandra Paul‘s brother went to prison for his involvement in burning down a horse slaughter house.

The activist was always known to his sister for being passionate about animal rights, but like many who serve behind bars, he’ll come out changed for the better–this time healthwise.

Jonathan gave up smoking, lost weight and now teaches spinning and boot camp classes to fellow inmates.

He also ran his first marathon–by doing 95 laps around the track at the medium security correctional facility he now calls home.

Alexandra writes in the Huffington Post:

“With all the sadness and pain that a family feels when a loved one goes to prison, there just may be a silver lining. My brother will come out still the passionate animal rights activist I love and admire so much, but he will have added marathon runner to his life resume. And probably at least 4 years to his life for having quit smoking the day he entered prison.”

Having never exercised regularly before, Jonathan gradually worked up to 6 miles a day, and caught the attention of the guards as not only the “vegan who reads all those books about global warming,” but also a runner

As a environmental activist, Jonathan’s decision to quit smoking sets just as good of an example as refraining from animal products.

Not only do cigarettes pollute indoor air quality and put everyone at risk for health problems, some data suggests cigarette butts are the  most littered item in the U.S. and account for 50% of the litter in the developed world.

Whether it’s a patch, gum, buddy system or replacing a cig by munching on celery, investigate how to quit smoking today to be a better steward of the earth.

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