Any Smokers or Ex- smokers? Need advice on how to increase lung capacity!

jiggles6669

Anyone else ever have this problem. It's a real problem trying to do cardio.

LenGray

The only thing I've found that helps is to just keep being active. Running and yoga, in particular, have helped. It'll also get better the longer you go without smoking.

xxbrimstonexx

How long has it been since you quit and how much did you smoke? It takes time for the body to repair all the damage from cigarettes.

jiggles6669

xxbrimstonexx wrote: »

How long has it been since you quit and how much did you smoke? It takes time for the body to repair all the damage from cigarettes.

Hi! It's been 3 weeks since I've quit, but I cheated twice, but I'm not giving up! And I've been smoking like 35 years, a long time. It's gonna take some time to repair, I know.

ceiswyn

Based on my father's experience of giving up after smoking for a similar length of time, there's not much you can do about your lung function right now, and you'll feel worse before you feel better. Cheerful, aren't I?

What you're dealing with at the moment isn't actually a lack of lung capacity; it's your lungs starting to clear out the nasty gunk that's accumulated in them. That causes shortness of breath, coughing, and other symptoms similar to a chest cold, and it can take up to three months. While that's going on you need to be nice to your lungs, not work them hard as it sounds like you're trying to do.

When that process is complete, then is the time to start really going for the cardio and increasing your lung capacity.

xxbrimstonexx

Oh 3 weeks, that's normal. It will take awhile to fully recover, but you'll heal steadily from what former smokers tell me. I've been smoking almost 29 years (I know, I know) and it seems like vaping (I know, I know) is my ticket to at least get out of that smoking mess. I've noticed that I'm less wheezy and can take deeper breaths. I'm waiting until I lose another 10 pounds or so before I start exercising (I'm not hauling all this around while I'm hopping up and down and gasping for breath!), so I'll let you know...

ninerbuff

It's gonna take time. Even now, I wished I never smoked because my lung capacity could be so much better than it is now. After I quit, it took a good 6 months to be able to run for a decent time limit without gassing out.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Slowfaster

I smoked for 25 years, but I jumped rope for 21 minutes a day during that time so I think that kept my lung capacity pretty good. I didn't feel bad when I smoked and didn't feel physically bad at any time after I quit. The mental stuff was hard, cravings and some depression during the first year.

About twenty years after I quit I had an operation for a broken leg and found out my oxygen saturation score was low. I started taking ten deep breaths every day, holding my hands at my waist with finger tips touching, and inhaling until the fingertips moved apart by a few inches. It wasn't until then that I realized I had always been breathing with my upper chest -- it's the low "belly," breaths that really use all your lungs. Recently I've had my sat/score taken and the scores were normal.

mommazach

I quit smoking 2 years ago. After 25 years of the habit. I got an app called couch to 5K, or C25K, as my goal was to INCREASE my breathing to prove to myself that it would make a difference. 6 weeks was my magical number. Remember to breathe through your exercise. Make sure you don't outrun your breath. It comes back little by little, but it truly does get better.

3xblessed71

what about also using a spirometer? I'm having surgery in a few weeks and was told to buy one and do exercises with it several times per day. I bought mine on Amazon for less than $15. Add this to deep belly breathing and, of course, regular cardio and you'll increase your lung capacity more quickly than if you just waited for your body to heal the damage that smoking caused. I also found that drinking a LOT of water really helped to make me feel better all around. Good luck and congratulations on this amazing life change that you've made!!

robcastle64

If you haven't already... get your heart checked out. I had trouble getting enough air when I was working out. I thought I was just an old, overweight and out of shape smoker. turned out I had heart disease. It's been about a year since the surgery and my last cigarette. Although it wasn't pleasant going through by-pass surgery , I feel like I did in my 20s now. I can run (and other things) without getting out of breath.

Scrampy

Swimming... just practice breathing. Being underwater helps

cea1982

I quit smoking cowboy killers in 2007 after smoking 2 packs a day since essentially 1979 - 28 years. I really didn't do any serious exercise over the last 10 years and put on around 100 lbs. or so. When I started up on my Team Weight Loss program at Lifetime gym, I was by definition...badly out of cardio shape. Since mid-January 2017, I've gone from a VO2 of 28.6 (which is in the Poor range) to 35.8 (which is in the "Good" range) as of the end of March 2017. I still have a ways to go to get into real running shape, but I'm making steady progress and I've lost about 40 lbs. So with the qualifications stated...here is my experience...yours will likely be different.

Start slow. Don't "over train" - doing to much to early. It took you 35 years to get in the cardio shape your in...you won't climb out of the hole overnight. What's to much? If your gasping and gagging...that's to much. You should be able to breath somewhat normally with a little stress.

If you can get an exercise Metabolic Assessment, that will provide you a plan with a range of treadmill speed and incline at various zones that will maximize your weight loss and your cardio. I started off with just walking...and I'm now mixing running, jogging, and walking in intervals at various heart rates. You don't have to go for a mile run or a 5K...although you should try to walk at least 3 miles a day / 10k to 15K steps per day. I do a cardio work out 3 days a week for about 45 min to 1 hour using intervals of walking, jogging, running, and resistance training.

Stretch - every damn day. Thoroughly.

Get yourself a Garmin Vivofit or a Fitbit and learn to use it to track your daily mileage and your heart rate.

If you've not already done so, get a full physical and if possible have your Doctor refer you to a Cardiologist or a Sports Medicine Doctor to get a stress test...particularly if you have any family history of cardiovascular disease, stroke, etc.

If you can afford to do so, retain a trainer to help you - preferably in a team setting (where the cost is somewhat shared) and you have others to support you.

Set reasonable goals - don't let your crocodile mouth overload your canary rear end.

Don't get down on your self...it takes time...be patient.

If your still smoking, remove yourself from smoking influences. Throw away your cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, pipes, cigar equipment, etc. If your vaping...STOP. Stop going to bars; remove yourself from situations in which you use to smoke. If you continue to have problems, there are now drugs like Chantix which will help you to successfully quit - see your Doctor.

Finally, just take it one day at a time. It sound trite, but it is true.

mk2fit

I, too, smoked for 35+ years. Quit about 5 years ago and gained a pile of weight. Started here in October 2014. Started walking, then elliptical after 3 months. Had to gradually add time so lungs could keep up. Started running a couple years ago. It does get easier with time. Be patient. If it does not get easier with time (3 weeks is probably not enough to recover from so many years of smoking), check with your doctor. Oh, I can run for a couple hours now without feeling like passing out. Best wishes to you on your journey.

rdmitch

Don't sweat it....I quit the day I started this MFP. Never gained weight and never had problems.
Lungs will clear a bit and start to heal. It never "got worse before it got better". It takes time so just stick with it.
It will be worth it and remember even one puff will throw you back to square one. It's NOT at all like MFP there are NO
Cheat days...ever !
I'm hoping to remain smoke free and sticking to my calorie goal, I have quit too many times in my past and
this is the real deal this time around.

theowlbox

If you do try swimming, grab a plastic book (they have them for kids) and try to hold your breath and read underwater. It disconnects you from the passage of time and helps you to increase the length of each breath being held.