For me there was no 'taper off' as in gradual reduction. After two or three days the body is screaming for nicotine in ways not unlike withdrawal from any potent addictive drug. This stage lasts at most 72 hours; usually less. From then on there will be times you will actually not think about it in between sudden surges of craving that would be overwhelming if one does not realized they won't last long if you resist for a few minutes.
Then the craving goes away for another period of peace. Over time the peace periods get longer and the frequency and severity of the temporary craving become less and less. Usually within a few weeks you don't have them at all any more and it is only the occasional memory of pleasures of smoking will bug you. (These can be offset by thinking about bad breath, stinky clothes and hair, yellow teeth, burns in the carpet or furniture, going out in sub zero temperatures to smoke or the being able for the first time to enjoy places where smoking wasn't an option).
Not even considering your health, it is all definitely worth it.
After ten years off cigs there are times that something sucks so bad I wished I still smoked just to cope. But those times are very rare.
Oh, and will power usually doesn't do it for most of us. But stubbornness works.
And my sense of smell is definitely becoming more acute. I suppose you are right about the exercise, too. Perhaps it is time to go full circle and locate the non-alcoholic 6-pack. Not today, though. This sucks enough.
