Smoker who wants to exercise...

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ctown7189
ctown7189 Posts: 14
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm a smoker of 5 years trying to lose 85 pounds. I've worked out in the past but nothing strenuous due to shortness of breath. Just climbing the stairs in my house is hard for me. I know quitting smoking is something I should do for my health and that it will make it easier on me if I do, but I'm taking this one step at a time and I'm not ready to quit just yet.
Are there any other smokers who could tell me if the shortness of breath ever gets better?

Replies

  • samb330
    samb330 Posts: 328 Member
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    I've smoked for 20+ years and I work out. WHen I eat really bad, greasy and fried foods it makes breathing harder when I work out. When I eat healthy foods, I don't have a problem. I jog 2-3 miles every day (slowly) and walk a mile or so, plus I do Jillian Michael DVD's. In order for me to do this, I need to eat better. It gets better, but when I get lazy, the short breaths come back. Just start slow, and take it easy. I know smoking is horrible, but I figure it's pointless to quit until I'm ready. This is what works for me. Goodluck to you!
  • ctown7189
    ctown7189 Posts: 14
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    I've smoked for 20+ years and I work out. WHen I eat really bad, greasy and fried foods it makes breathing harder when I work out. When I eat healthy foods, I don't have a problem. I jog 2-3 miles every day (slowly) and walk a mile or so, plus I do Jillian Michael DVD's. In order for me to do this, I need to eat better. It gets better, but when I get lazy, the short breaths come back. Just start slow, and take it easy. I know smoking is horrible, but I figure it's pointless to quit until I'm ready. This is what works for me. Goodluck to you!

    I'll keep that in mind. My boyfriend and I went grocery shopping yesterday and got all fruits veggies and meat. We are cutting out processed food from our diets. I can't wait till I can get to a point where I can run more than 10 feet without losing my breath :)
  • teresadutton
    teresadutton Posts: 232 Member
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    I too have been a smoker for 20 years and I do aerobics 5 times a week and dont have a problem. All the extra weight I was hauling around made me more short of breath than the smoking does. I will quit at some point just not ready yet. Good luck!!
  • Asil02
    Asil02 Posts: 261
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    I started smoking from a VERY young age. At the age of 31 I quit. I used the patch for a week. It made my arm sore which gave me an incentive to go cold turkey. I haven't smoked since. I won't tell you to stop. That is your decision. I just want you to know it can be done.
    One thing I can tell you about exercise is to start out small. Start with short walks. Even if it is to the end of the street and back home. Do that for about a week or two. Then increase the distance more and more. This is how I started in April and now I am up to 3 miles a day 5 times a week.
    Good luck in your journey!
  • Heyman09
    Heyman09 Posts: 184
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    I smoked for about 6 yrs and I've been quit for a little over a year!!! I did workout when I smoked but it was tough.....I pretty much focused on my diet rather than workouts....I would walk around but that was about it....As a former smoker I will say it.....Yes quitting is going to help you greatly but you won't be successful until you make up you mind that YOU are ready. You can't quit for others....That was something I had to realize......The first 6 months after quitting was still tough on breathing but it got a little better every day. You can do this!!! Good luck
  • ksavy
    ksavy Posts: 271 Member
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    I have been smoking for about 13 years. I still run and do all types of workouts. Could I be in better shape if I didn't? Probably... but I can still go out and run 4-6 miles, even if it is at a slightly slower pace. You just have to work up to it. I had more problems carrying the extra weight than I really did smoking. Running has gotten so much easier now that I am not carrying around that extra 30lbs.
  • naceto
    naceto Posts: 517 Member
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    I walk! I started slow... My goal is to have the endurance to jog eventually. I have seen others (with worse health issues) do it- so why can't I? :smile:

    I smoke AND I have asthma- (and some nasty hip problems) - - not a good combo. First change I made was healthier food- I still do *some* processed junk, but on the days where I do a lot of processed or fatty food, I feel it. A few days in, I added the walking- I originally stuck with pretty even surfaces (no hills). Now, I have a regular walk I do on most days, which is about a mile and a half, with a bit of an incline part of the ways... when my hip isn't bothering me I can do about 3mph without lung trouble. Some days I can get a bit faster- and even jog a little (like 30 seconds, which may not sound like a lot, but when I do it, I feel like I've conquered the world) :smile:

    Rule #1 - drink lots of water

    Rule #2 - go slow at first - push yourself, but listen to your body- don't push too hard. There is that point where I just start to feel pressure in my lungs, or a bit of a burn/tingle - that is when I know to slow my pace for a couple of minutes. As you keep going, that stuff comes fewer and farther apart.

    Rule #3 - should not have to exist - don't smoke right before or while you are walking

    Of course the best advice I could give both of us - Quit smoking :laugh: I have smoked for 25 years, so it's not that simple- HOWEVER, since I started eating and acting healthier- I started smoking less without even trying.

    Good luck to you! If I can do it, you most certainly can! :drinker:
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I smoked on and off for 35 years and quit a year and a half ago. My experience from several periods of smoking and not smoking is that it doesn't get a whole lot better until you quit. Then it gets better really fast.
  • Yardtigress
    Yardtigress Posts: 367 Member
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    I smoked in the Army and ran everyday. I smoked and did aerobics and smoked. I quit 4 years ago, because after all that time I got tired of being short of breath. I used welbutrin, I tried the patches and they made everything taste like metal and gave me nightmares. Take it slow and when your ready you will quit. Good luck.
  • BrittanyErica
    BrittanyErica Posts: 74 Member
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.
  • lilacsun
    lilacsun Posts: 204 Member
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    Hello. I was a smoker for 30 years. Started when I was 14. I am 3 days into my last quit. I actually found MFP on a quitters blot. No I'm not telling you to quit:) That is a decision for you.
    But to answer your question. Yes you definately can improve your endurance. I was never into running until the last 2 years. And I improved by adding time in 2 minute increments. When my breathing seemed difficult I conciously had to slow it down by taking bigger slower breaths and pushing until my time limit was up. I gradually improved enough to run for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

    I will add though...3 days in and I can feel it is easier to breathe all the time now. This is my step to improve:) Good luck and stick with it! The more healthy habits you create the better it is all around for you.
  • jillianlovesyarn
    jillianlovesyarn Posts: 44 Member
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.
    I don't know if I agree with this. Everything can come in stages. I'm not sure if I ever would have quit had I not started to make the basic investment in my health long before quitting actually stuck. I ate mostly whole foods and worked out and was definitely healthier than when I smoked, ate too much processed stuff and didn't exercise at all. At the very least my chronic bronchitis went away and I discovered my asthma was actually caused by allergens and not by smoking (go figure). This is not to say that my body was the healthiest possible but it was as healthy as it could be at that point in my journey.

    When I was a smoker I did a lot of speed walking and used the elliptical and an exercise bike. There are obviously more intensive workouts out there but anything you do is better than doing nothing at all. Besides, you may find that you can work up to more aggressive workouts over time.
  • Ivana331
    Ivana331 Posts: 230
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.
    I have to agree 100% with this. My thought was if you aren't willing to quit, what is the point of trying to work out? The cigarettes are still polluting your body.... I would say quitting smoking should come first to give your lungs time to heal.
  • ksavy
    ksavy Posts: 271 Member
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.

    Kinda harsh. Everyone goes through things in different steps. I may smoke, but I also eat relatively healthy and exercise. That is more than I can say for many of my non-smoking friends, so really who is healthier?
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.

    Kinda harsh. Everyone goes through things in different steps. I may smoke, but I also eat relatively healthy and exercise. That is more than I can say for many of my non-smoking friends, so really who is healthier?

    That statement is incredibly rude and most of all, untrue. Most do go through stages when dealing with and conquering addictions. Does the heroin addict quit cold turkey? No. They go to methadone or suboxone. Does the rage addict stop being angry because he is scaring his wife and children? No, he goes to many sessions of therapy. And dealing with several addictions at one time is not easy, and its extremely rare that one would deal with a food addiction and nicotine addiction in one fell swoop. Did it take you one day of overeating to say to yourself, I am unhealthy and I should never do this again? NO. It's terribly rude to judge someone on a website that is supposed to be about support.

    I say to the OP, good for you for getting up and getting active. Take it one day at a time, and you will be just fine.
  • Cooriander
    Cooriander Posts: 2,848 Member
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    I am an exsmoker, and I recall breathing gets better as you gain fitness. But really, stopping smoking just opens up new world. You can smell again! Running after the rain (and not being a smoker) is just a treat, I didn't realize how much until after I didn't smoke.

    Best way to stop smoking is cold turkey with the nikorette gum. 1st week is really really hard, but once you past that first one week it gets a whole lot easier. I was a heavy smoker - 2-3 packs a day. :embarassed: and I have not smoked for almost 20 eyars now :bigsmile: You can do it; And what are you waiting for? Because if you continue 'waiting' you will never be ready...
  • FlyByJuly
    FlyByJuly Posts: 564 Member
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    if you're not ready to quit smoking, you're not ready to take your health seriously and won't succeed. not being an *kitten*, just being honest. if you're serious about your health and well-being, quiting smoking should be number one on your list of things to do.

    I disagree. I've been a smoker and I'm now a non-smoker. While a smoker, I took my health seriously and made changes in my diet and exercise. I knew from past experience that if I tried to do too many things at once, I was going to fail in at least one area, maybe even in all areas. I started with the things that were, for me, the easiest to change. Nicotine addiction is a hard one to kick. I knew that I needed to have my diet under control before I tried to quit smoking. That is what has worked for me. When I was smoking, I never took my health less seriously. I knew there was a SERIOUS health risk that needed to be eliminated. It is up to the smoker to know when it's the time to make the change. I wish you much luck and success!
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
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    I'm just glad I never managed to start smoking. :happy:
    As for quitting, I used to say it's so easy, my mom has done it a dozen times...
    My mom finally quit cold-turkey when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, before that she had lost weight, started exercising and eating ultra healthy, but it took that final shock to push her over the edge.
    my brother quit a few times, not sure which phase he is in just now.
    my husband quit when he grew tired of it. His doctor told him to pay attention to the things that trigger his lighting up - for example a cup of coffee and a smoke, a glass of scotch and a smoke etc. then he started removing those triggers one by one, changing the coffee to a glass of water etc. After a while you get the coffee etc back, just not the cigarettes...

    Anyways, any step in the right direction takes you forward. And who knows what the next one will be....

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