Advice for a smoker?

redskyharbor
redskyharbor Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I say smoker, between 5-15 a day depending on circumstances.
However, I've researched that even when smoking, you can increase fitness and reduce the effects of smoking through cardio.
But as a smoker with low fitness I find it very hard to push through and I end up out of breath, discouraged and lacking motivation; however I'm okay with crunches, squats and things, just intense cardio.
Any advice/suggestions on what to ease myself in with? Or how to increase my motivation to push through the wheezing fits.
Thanks guys :)
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Replies

  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    quit smoking :happy:
  • tnrunningnurse
    tnrunningnurse Posts: 549 Member
    I am a former smoker....quit smoking. It just that simple.
  • rhondaoberling
    rhondaoberling Posts: 17
    From one smoker to another : You are a beautiful young woman my advice to you is to quit smoking NOW while your lungs still have a chance to somewhat heal and reccuperate from what damage that has already been done. The older you get the harder it is to try to quit! Iam 52yrs old and already lost 40% Of My lung function, the most cardio I have been able to do is walk a mile. I am trying my hardest for the millionth time to quit. At best try to cut back more. :flowerforyou:
  • lglg11
    lglg11 Posts: 344 Member
    Quit. Now.
  • Momyontherun
    Momyontherun Posts: 8 Member
    I agree with Realwomen. We, my husband and I, quit smoking to enjoy hiking, which has led to a whole nother world. It will still take a while to push through, but you may find that things are so much better when you aren't worried about "where can i go have a cigarette" as you walk around the block.
  • ferb03
    ferb03 Posts: 82
    Yep, ya gotta quit smoking sister. And it can be done so if/when you decide to do it add me as a friend and I will give you all the support I can. Been there done that.
  • Nukkers
    Nukkers Posts: 139 Member
    Quit smoking is way easier said than done. I've tried several times and I know one day when I'm ready I'll get it. I started exercising by doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels. It's a good mixture of cardio and strength training, actually interval training. At first I felt like I was going to d i e. But after a few days it has gotten much better. I also walk 3 miles 3 times a week. This has helped so much. I plan to move on to C25K after I've built myself up enough. Good luck!
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    I smoked a pack a day for 20 years. I'm now 99.9% quit. I have the occasional smoke. Everyone is right, quit now, while you're young and it's easier. While your body is still able to fix the damage you've done. That wheezing you're experiencing? It will only get worse with time.

    I suppose you can still work out and all but it's going to be harder and harder the longer you smoke. Your lung capacity is going to go down, not up.
  • redskyharbor
    redskyharbor Posts: 34 Member
    Thanks Nukkers for pointing out quitting is hard, and in fact I have cut down a lot, I've had a look at interval training since you mentioned it and it seems attainable, I'll have a look at your other suggestions :)
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    The quit advice is good,
    I eventually quit for good around 40 years ago, when *kitten* were 3 shillings & 6 old pence a packet of 20 [ 32.5p in today's money]. In those days ir was harder going as zero support or nicotine patches etc

    Have you spotted today's news about a mass quitting in October? Hopefully there will be loads of help & encouragment

    "Smokers across England are being urged to quit for a month in a government campaign"

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19506327
  • LyssaJ1
    LyssaJ1 Posts: 240 Member
    Well, I smoke a pack-a-day, and usually walk/hike close-to three miles every other day...at least three times a week. I was *almost quit*...down to three cigs a day and then I got a trigger-letter that totally set me off. (Yeah, I have "issues".)

    Anyway, *first* I need to lose weight...then I'll attend to quitting smoking, but I'm not doing both at the same time. Oh, and I didn't start at the almost-three-miles a day...I started off just wandering for a while around the neighborhood. Then I got a pedometer...then I started going by time and then figured out the distance.

    Take care of *and* be good to you! :smile:
  • navywife5810
    navywife5810 Posts: 63 Member
    Well, considering today is Day One of my quit smoking goal, I'm just going to tell you the quotes that are taped all over my house to keep me motivated.

    It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
    - Charles Darwin

    Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
    - George Bernard Shaw

    The words "I am..." are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you're claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you.
    - A.L. Kitselman

    Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
    - Thomas Edison

    Now, as far as exercise goes, intense cardio is going to be really difficult for you...it is for me, but as I've slowed my smoking, I've been able to do more. I used to not be able to walk up stairs without being out of breath. Now I can walk for hours, do Zumba, and weight train. I'm happy I'm quitting, but it's not easy. I still want them... I guess I just have to decide what type of life I want more.
  • LaurySch
    LaurySch Posts: 277 Member
    Of course the "quit now" advice is right, but you need to be ready. I tried three times before it stuck and some days I still feel like I'm one smoke away from going back. Keep doing what you're doing, push yourself a bit more each time and just keep reminding yourself that quitting is an option.

    I can't give you advice on what works while you are smoking, I quit before I started exercising regularly. But I know that even just a few days of not smoking make a difference, maybe just test yourself by going longer without a smoke before each workout?

    Good luck!
  • ldholcombe
    ldholcombe Posts: 97 Member
    quit smoking :happy:

    This is exactly what I was going to say.

    Plus your probably spending anywhere from $40-$80 on ciggarettes a month, what a wasted of money. You are paying to basically kill your self. I use to smoke and felt horrible all the time when I did. I could not really jog, I had head aches all of the time. I would cough up nasty stuff. Its just not worth it. If your trying to become healthier cut cigs out first. You will thank your self later!!
  • Just_Pam
    Just_Pam Posts: 23 Member
    I quit in March using e-cigs (nicolite brand). Best decision I ever made. I had tried everything else several times and couldn't do it, even though almost everyone around me had quit over the years. It's amazing how much more energetic you can be when you can breathe!! I had smoked for almost 35 years 1-2 packs a day.
  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    you just have to make it 3 days to quit smoking. The third day is the hardest. The worst part is how much you miss it. Life is way better without it.

    Yes, I have done it. You can utter excuses like stress and whatnot but life is never going to get easy or stress free. You do have to want it for it to happen. So my best advice is WANT to quit smoking and then everything else will fall in line.
  • ktied
    ktied Posts: 137 Member
    Of course the "quit now" advice is right, but you need to be ready. I tried three times before it stuck and some days I still feel like I'm one smoke away from going back. Keep doing what you're doing, push yourself a bit more each time and just keep reminding yourself that quitting is an option.

    I can't give you advice on what works while you are smoking, I quit before I started exercising regularly. But I know that even just a few days of not smoking make a difference, maybe just test yourself by going longer without a smoke before each workout?

    Good luck!

    I'm a smoker too, about 10-15 cigs a day, though im cutting back, and one thing I have found to be helpful in cardio sessions is not smoking before a workout, like go as long as you can before you know you have a workout and it really does help. Then you workout, forget you want a cigaarette, and i hate smoking right after a workout. makes me feel like im gonna die. So hopefully, itll just click one day and I'll really want to quit. Good luck to you.
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
    When I started MFP I was a smoker, average 10 a day. It does get easier to breathe through the workouts if you persist!

    Obviously it is ideal to quit but it's easier said than done, especially when you're trying to lose weight.

    I got to a point in my weight loss where I decided I needed to quit for my over all health as well. I do occasionally smoke, sometimes just when I go out and sometimes I smoke for a week or more.

    The one thing I will say is that the difference in motivation is amazing when you don't smoke. I am eager to workout and eat healthy when I don't smoke. When I do I am sluggish and moody and just grab quick meals because I can't be bothered with anything! :P

    Take your time, you will only quit if you want to (I didn't want to, which is why I often go back to it but it's better that I have cut down!)

    ETA: I have one of those electronic cigarettes, they aren't as harmful for your health and you can still get nicotine. It's been quite useful! :)
  • Stevensno
    Stevensno Posts: 30
    I smoked up to 20 a day until fairly recently,NRT is your friend.I was incredibly unfit for cardio so I instantly stopped smoking,started going to the gym 4/5 days a week and haven't looked back since.Quitting smoking can be a daunting prospect but with the correct support and the almost instant health benefits it soon became a no brainer. I hope you can find the strength to give it a go,life is so much better without cigarettes !
  • rabbit1951
    rabbit1951 Posts: 31 Member
    If you can possibly quit smoking, please do. I quit for good on my 2nd try (June 13, 2009) with the help of a prescription (not Chantix.) I'm very lucky in that I haven't missed it at all. One big help is that, as fewer people smoke, I'm not around smokers as much. Another big help is that I'm kind of a cheapskate and when I saw someone buying cigarettes at an entertainment venue (okay- we were at the casino) they were almost $10.00. It's probably difficult to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time, but try to be successful at one thing and then tackle the other. It is SO much easier to exercise when not smoking.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    I am not a smoker, but I have a very addictive personality, so I know in a small way how hard it must be for you.

    Bad news, though: You have to quit. HAVE to.

    GOOD NEWS: There's nothing wrong with NOT doing it cold turkey. Start by just cutting back. You said you have 5-15 per day, make 12 your absolute maximum for the day. Promise yourself that you will NEVER exceed 12 a day, ever again, for the rest of your life. That wouldn't be too hard, would it? Then after two or three weeks, reduce. Tell yourself that 10 cigarettes/day are the limit for you. Slowly drop down over a period of several months, and don't ever go over your limit.

    When you get to the point where you feel you absolutely CANNOT cut back any further, seek medical intervention. Patches, Chantix, gum, whatever works for you.

    And I know you can't always avoid it, but do your best to avoid high stress. Sometimes you can't help it, but maybe tell your boss no, you can't take that promotion and have more responsibilities right now, because it would stress you out and make you crave cigs. Or put off going back to school until you quit, things like that. (Yes, I know careers and education are important, but they're not worth much of anything to you if you're unhealthy. Or cancer-ridden. Or dead.)

    You can do it! *high five and chest bump!*
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
    I smoke a pack a day. I can run just fine. I'm never out of breath at the end of a workout. No chest pains, coughing, fatigue, nada. I smoke right before a workout, and have one right after.



    Guess I'm just awesome.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    When I used to smoke I too had no issues with catching my breath or running or anything, but everyone is different. And we are all awesome. I quit cold turkey and I love not smoking.
  • CyeRyn
    CyeRyn Posts: 389 Member
    I'm an ex-smoker 2yrs 10mo quit. I couldn't run when I *just* quit.. I had to slowly increase the amount of cardio I did. Quitting is the BEST option but I know how hard it is. If you feel you are not ready to quit you wont. That's how it worked with me. Try and start off slowly with cardio. Walking is an amazing tool. I used to walk 2hrs a day years ago and smoke and not be out of breath. Work your way up and you can do it. And hopefully down the road you'll be able to quit too. Good luck.
  • Nina2503
    Nina2503 Posts: 172 Member
    Smoking is my guilty secret... and I hate it . I smoke about 5 to 7 cigarettes a day. I can give up bad food and can give up alchohol but even when I quit I always end up going back to cigarettes. It is the biggest regret ever in my life that I ever started, but I know one day I will quit for good I just know I am not ready right now. I have immense respect for people who quit for good.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
    quit smoking :happy:

    Yep. No excuses. You can do it if you want it. If you haven't quit or aren't going to, you obviously don't want to.
  • strawberrytoast
    strawberrytoast Posts: 711 Member
    I smoke a pack a day. I can run just fine. I'm never out of breath at the end of a workout. No chest pains, coughing, fatigue, nada. I smoke right before a workout, and have one right after.



    Guess I'm just awesome.

    I smoke just before and just fater a workout too, think its my treat for for it. Im not proud of this though as i know i am taking in hundreds of toxins and damaging my lungs ect. I have to say i do like though, the electronic cigarettes are not the same.
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,552 Member
    I quit cold turkey.Blood clots in heart and legs from smoking.Quit now!
  • melpop8
    melpop8 Posts: 39 Member
    One day at a time! I chose not to smoke today. I might choose to do it again tomorrow. However, If i feel i do need one then i will and wont beat myself up about it.
    Quitting smoking cold turkey and reducing my calorie intake is tough enough when done separately never mind in tandem. Good luck to you :)
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    It's really not different advice from that I would give to anyone who had low cardiovascular health: Just get started. Start with walking... at a comfortable pace until you can do 30 minutes. Then speed up. Then go longer. Then speed up. Then add jogging intervals... then go longer...

    At any point, when you quit smoking, it will just become easier.

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