Exercise has many beneficial effects on the body, from helping control your weight to increasing your mobility, protecting against bone loss, reducing stress and enhancing self esteem. People of any age or fitness level can benefit from exercise, but someone with existing health problems should consult with his physician before beginning an exercise program. Smoking falls into the category of health risks for exercise, along with taking prescription medicine, heart problems, diabetes, joint or bone problems, high blood pressure, being over age 45 for men or 50 for women, or being overweight. However, some research shows exercise can help smokers with some conditions and risks.
Exercise and Quitting Smoking
Exercise can play an effective role in helping you stop smoking. Smokers who take up a regular exercise program have a better success rate when they try to quit smoking. The higher the level of activity they engage in, the greater the success rate. Smokers who exercise are twice as likely to quit compared to smokers who do not exercise, reports QuitSmokingSupport.com. While cigarette smoking does serve as a stress-reliever for many smokers, exercise can compensate for that loss due to its ability to reduce stress levels as well.
Offsetting Effect
Even if you still smoke and are having difficulty giving up the habit, exercise can help you with a serious lung condition common in smokers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The March 2007 "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine" reported on a study by Dr. Judith Garcia-Aymerich of the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona, Spain. Garcia-Aymerich and her colleagues followed nearly 6,800 people, smokers and non-smokers, for more than 11 years. In this number, 928 developed COPD. In those that smoked, the disease happened 20 percent less in people who said they engaged in moderate or high levels of exercise. The study offered that it was possible that regular physical activity could somehow counteract the effects of smoking through an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanism.
Other Postive Effects
No one would disagree that the best thing for smokers to do is quit, but smokers who exercise help themselves more than smokers who are sedentary. According to the journal "Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention," reporting on a 2006 study, women who were current or former smokers with high levels of physical activity were less likely to develop lung cancer than those who were more sedentary. Most cardiovascular effects in smokers begin to reverse within a few days of quitting as well. Athletes perform better a week or two after quitting than if they had continued smoking.
Exercise and Cravings
According to "Science Daily," a number of studies have shown that moderate exercise can curb the nicotine cravings in women smokers, but the effect seems to be short-lived, lasting from several hours to one to two days. David Williams, an assistant professor of community health at Brown University and involved in this research, believes exercise may be a useful treatment strategy if done often and consistently enough. In 2011, Williams received a National Institute of Health grant for $2.2 million for a five-year study to enroll a larger sample of women in a randomized, controlled trial. Hopefully, the study will find how often exercise needs to be engaged in to have a sustained anti-craving effect.
References
- Texas Heart Institute; Exercise; December 2010
- QuitSmokingSupport.com: How Important Is Exercise in Quitting Smoking?
- "The New York Times"; Exercise: Workouts May Offset One Effect of Smoking; Mar. 6, 2007
- "Los Angeles Times"; Exercise Can Do a Smoker's Body Good; Jeannine Stein; Aug. 4, 2008
- ScienceDaily; Exercise Helps Women Fight Smoking Cravings, But Effect is Short-Lived; May 20, 2011
