Yes, the habit is awful. Not only does it destroy your health from the inside out, but it’s also harmful to the environment, your personal property, your financial security, and even the people around you. Second and third-hand smoke are linked to lung disease and other ailments, so every time you light up, you’re putting everyone else at risk, too.
The good news is that developing a daily exercise routine via sports can help you kick the habit for good and reclaim your good health. Don’t let yourself become one of the 500,00 people per year that die from cigarette-related complications.
I can assure you that cancer is not something you want to experience fist-hand; and even if you survive it, you’ll likely go bankrupt paying the medical bills afterward!
Here’s how physical activity can help you ditch the cigarettes.
Exercise For Happiness
Regular exercise has been attributed to improved mood and overall happiness in several important studies. Not only does exercising release important chemical messengers called endorphins, but it also increases blood flow to the brain and other vital organs, increases confidence and drive and can improve your overall mental/physical health.
All of that is directly related to exercise? Yes! We aren’t meant to sit around for hours and hours, and our modern lethargic habits are costing the healthcare system billions every year and increasing the death toll from conditions like heart disease.
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the number one killer of adults across the globe. In the US alone, heart disease and relevant complications cost the healthcare system somewhere around $219 billion. Heart disease is often linked to a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, but smoking cigarettes is also one of the leading causes.
Combine the habit of smoking with a poor, nutrient-deficient diet, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. Smoking not only damages internal organs and decreases the heart and lungs’ ability to properly oxygenate vital organs and tissues, but it also increases blood pressure. Hypertension is directly related to damaged cardiac muscle and blood vessels, which can result in cardiac arrest, stroke and more.
The bottom line? Smoking can pretty much kill your heart on its own, but with the help of sedentary, exercise-free life, you’re pretty much guaranteed to experience heart complications at some point.
Fight Cravings With Exercise
Nicotine withdrawal is no joke. The cravings can become overwhelming, and not getting a dose of nicotine can cause all kinds of problems from mood swings to diarrhea or constipation to depression. When you make the decision to quit smoking altogether, you’ll need to prepare yourself for the cravings to come.
Alternative products may be a good option for the process of ditching nicotine altogether; giving you the “fix” you crave without the harmful effects of cigarettes. They’re tobacco-free, so you’re not inhaling any tobacco smoke or chewing on tobacco leaves.
When you combine alternative options like this with exercise and other healthy habits, you drastically increase your chances of success.
Aerobic exercise has been shown to help reduce cigarette cravings and help smokers stay focused on their cessation goals. In fact, you may be able to reduce the symptoms of withdrawal and cravings for up to an hour after you exercise. How much better would you feel after an hour with minimal cravings?
The cessation journey isn’t an easy one, but it’s an important one. Replacing your bad habit with a healthy one like exercise can help reduce your risk of getting cancer and disease and may even add years back onto your life that you would have otherwise lost to smoking.
Lifestyle Changes
You can’t exercise and smoke cigarettes and expect to get the best results. The bottom line is that you’ve come to a crossroads, and it’s time to make one of the most important decisions of your life. Do you want to be active and healthy, and leave cigarettes behind for good, or are you going to lay down and let your habit conquer you?
Smoking and exercise are essentially contradictions of one another, and smoking damages the body to the point where no amount of exercise can undo that damage; that is, unless you quit altogether.
The body has a remarkable ability to heal itself, even from something like a 20-year smoking habit. After just a few weeks’ time, the lungs start to heal, and after just a few years, they pretty much return to their normal function.
Get Motivated
Think of all the amazing things you’ll be able to do and experience now that you’re smoke-free. You’ll no longer be a social pariah, and you won’t have to foot the medical costs of your habit in a few years. Exercise can help you live a longer, healthier, happier life, so why wait? There’s never been a better time to take back control of your life and your health.
