Exercising to Help Quit Smoking
There are so many reasons to start exercising to benefit your overall health. Exercise promotes cardiovascular health, increases metabolism thus helping us control our weight as it tones our muscles. We look and feel better when we exercise.
Now, one more reason has been added to the rationale to exercise more. For smokers who are trying to break their addiction to nicotene, as little as five minutes of exercise curbs their craving for nicotene. A recent review of a dozen studies done on the subject found that even moderate exercise such as walking signifigantly reduced withdrawal symptoms.
At the University of Exeter in London, Dr. Adrian Taylor studied the decreasing effects of nicotene withdrawal as you increase physical exertion and exercise. The strength of the effect of exercise in reducing cravings was astonishing even to those conducting the study.
Researchers did say that the immediate effect of exercise was profound for craving reduction but were uncertain how long that effect would last. The theory as to what is physically occurring to produce this effect is that, during exercise, the mood elevating hormone, dopamine is increased in production.
For smoking cessation programs, this is a wonderful addition. Exercise whether your are working out on elliptical reviews or running around outside, together with other behavior modifications, can help you kick the habit for good. Also, the frequent concern of weight gain often associated with quitting smoking is addressed by exercising more.
