How long after quitting smoking will exercising get easier?

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amberfranklin1
amberfranklin1 Posts: 79 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am posting for my sister who is not on MFP. She has recently quit smoking, a week now. She has been working out reguarly for almost a year now, even finished Insanity as a smoker. She has tried to replace smoking with extra exercise, walking miles and even starting to jog. She wonders how long it will take to breath like a non smoker. I think that the jogging is what she is really struggling with. i have read many posts that say how much better exercisng is without the smoking, but how long before you get to that point? Also, read a lot of stuff about small weight gains from reduced metabolism after quitting, Is that only temporary? I am very proud that she has decided to kick the habit and want to be able to encourage her as much as possible and would love to hear of success stories I could pass on to her!
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  • zebedeewyse1
    zebedeewyse1 Posts: 10
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    hi there, i cant answer this but i gave up smoking a week ago and have now started jogging and exercising so hopefully someone out there will know the answer!! good luck to your sister :-) xxx
  • foodfight247
    foodfight247 Posts: 767 Member
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    I also gave up smoking recently and I'm already feeling the benefits. Been a little grouchy from time to time, but otherwise, It's doing fine. I use a couple of methods to distract me from the urge to have one. As far as the excercise, I've also recently started to do a couple of exercises, I've not noticed anything different from before, although, I am trying to gain the weight. But then I'm used to running around after my little one. Although, I'm small in stature being 4'11", I may look deinty, but I'm a lot stronger than I look. They say, It does take a while for your body to get back to "normal",
  • TrinaXL
    TrinaXL Posts: 39 Member
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    there's no easy answer, it takes a long time. I smoked for 3 years and quit in March 2009. I still can't run, I can jog though (I don't do it often) because she is exercising every day I honestly don't think she'll gain that much weight. I gained weight because I replaced the cigarettes with food.
    Really though, how long did she smoke for? think of all the damage she's done to her lungs. it'll take a long time for them to heal. at least as long as she smoked if not more time depending on her age to breathe like a non smoker.
    Kudos to her! smoking is the most useless habit ever. it hurts you for a long time and rewards you with a good feeling, yellow teeth, stinky clothes, freezing outside in the winter (if you have winter, and it's illegal to smoke inside any public building where I live)
    Keep working, it's worth it, she will make progress, it's just slow.
  • Fliegenschwein
    Fliegenschwein Posts: 232 Member
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    I can only speak from experience and it might differ depending on the person, but I used to be a heavy smoker .. in the region of 40+ per day for many years.

    I gave up in 2004 and only started running last year in September 2010 and still found it pretty difficult after 6 years of no smoking.

    I then started the c25k program and it was only while doing that that I noticed my fitness level really increasing to the point where now, I'm running between 5-6 miles every other day and its usually my legs that give out before my breathing does, in fact I dont even think about my breathing anymore when I run and I really enjoy it. I've lost 47 pounds and I can honestly say that I'm in better shape now than I was in my 20s (I'm 45 now).

    My advice is to try c25k. Its worked wonders for me :smile:

    http://www.coolrunning.com/index.shtml
  • momma_roo
    momma_roo Posts: 146 Member
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    I quit smoking 13 months ago. I smoked for 13 years. I didn't even consider exercising until February of this year and that is when I really noticed a difference. I've never been much for running, but when I do now, my body tires before my lungs do. It is so worth it and be healthier. I did gain weight, but like I said I wasn't exercising and I replaced the cigarettes with junk. Most people gain weight because they need to find something to do with their hands and usually choose food to cope. The hardest part of quitting is learning to cope without smoking or eating. i wish your sister the best of luck!!
  • ToferMac
    ToferMac Posts: 1
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    I smoked for 23 years and quit 2 weeks ago. I am having all kinds of issues with sleeping, gas, sweating, appetite and especially attitude. The first week was hell. This second week has been much better on me, although I still am having all these problems. I have decided to start jogging in the evening with the kids. I started by jogging 1/4 mile and then walking about 100 yards, repeating that for about a mile. It's been 3 nights and I haven't really had a hard time breathing. I figured that I would have a heart attack halfway through the run but so far (to my surprise) it's the kids who are having a hard time keeping up with me. I push myself way past what any sane Doctor would allow, but it seems to be alright. For those of you who wish to start running after quitting smoking, I can only suggest that you take it slow and trust what you feel. Only you can tell what is comfortable for you and what is not. But as always, seek your Doctors advice as well.
  • upgetupgetup
    upgetupgetup Posts: 749 Member
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    Bump.
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    Nicotine out of the system over the first two - three days

    Carbon Monoxide clears the body in 72 hours. Damaged nerve endings will start to repair and your senses of smell and taste will begin to return. This is where temptation to eat more start to emerge.

    Breathing becomes easier over the next three weeks to three months. Heart attack is far less likely now.

    One year: Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke have dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

    and so on. Benefits start as soon as you quit smoking and get increasingly better from then on.
  • Bassgirl51
    Bassgirl51 Posts: 117
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    Nicotine out of the system over the first two - three days

    Carbon Monoxide clears the body in 72 hours. Damaged nerve endings will start to repair and your senses of smell and taste will begin to return. This is where temptation to eat more start to emerge.

    Breathing becomes easier over the next three weeks to three months. Heart attack is far less likely now.

    One year: Your excess risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke have dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

    and so on. Benefits start as soon as you quit smoking and get increasingly better from then on.

    What Carlos said....and it takes about 2-3 years for lungs to completely heal and be as a non smoker. Providing COPD has not set in yet. Running greatly increases the lungs capacity as well as strengthen the heart. That is why some of you are seeing good improvement with running.
    The sleeplessness and anxiety stops in about two-three weeks. Some people take a month.
    Physical nicotine is out of your system with in three days after stopping.
    Think of it as going low carb....your body screams for sweets and brain gets foggy the first week then tapers off and could care less after two-three weeks. Smoking same thing.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    I gave up smoking on the 20th Feb 2010 I was a heavy smoker of a pack (30) a day for 29 years. I gave up cold turkey and it was terrible for the first 3 to 4 months. After about 6 months I started feeling pretty good although the temptation was still there to light up. After the first year I noticed a big improvement in breathing, no more smokers cough and especially no getting breathless at the least amount of exercise. Fast forward to now I wonder why the heck I smoked for so long, I wish I had given up sooner. I no longer crave any ciggies and find the smell on others disgusting.

    Good luck on giving up everyone. It's not easy but it's most definately worth it.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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    I wonder why the heck I smoked for so long, I wish I had given up sooner. I no longer crave any ciggies and find the smell on others disgusting.

    Agree - plus I can smell a cig from a mile away and pinpoint its exact geographical location on google maps. And I can smell it on people too and am like did I always smell like shi+?

    About 2 months after working out running got a little easier, but I still hate running lol.
  • Vicky_Zeledon
    Vicky_Zeledon Posts: 1
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    Starting to run long distances is hard for everyone, even for non-smokers. Also, I know smokers that run miles everyday. Now that she quit smoking she can probably get resistance faster than a smoker.
    Good luck to her!
  • MizTerry
    MizTerry Posts: 3,763 Member
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    The 16th of January will be my one year anniversary for quitting. I hate running, so I don't do well with it ANYWAY. Breathing became easier for me within a month. I noticed it when I sang. I used to get winded just singing in choir practice for an hour, but now I can go two hours and hold my own. :glasses:
  • evinson12
    evinson12 Posts: 8 Member
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    I quit on November 26th 2012. I started exercising just last week on January 4th 2013 and I walk for 30 minutes at a very fast pace. I could not have done that in November. I used to get winded and cough just taking the trash to the road. I've also noticed that I now can climb the 16 stairs in our home by two at a time and before it was all i could do to take them 1 at a time! Good luck to you, it is SO worth it!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I smoked on and off, mostly on, for around 35 years and quit 2 years ago. It gets a lot easier to run after about 2 weeks. After a few months most of the coughing up mucus problems are gone. Sometime around a year it seems that the lungs are back to full functionality. At least that is my experience training for and running two marathons and a lot of other races since I quit smoking.
  • aj445
    aj445 Posts: 183 Member
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    I've been a runner for 14 years and hav smoked on and off in that time. The last 2 years though I was a pretty regular smoker. Ran a half marathon last year and smoked throughout the training - just stopped for the week prior to the run. I noticed a difference within a couple of days. This year I'm training for the full. I stopped smoking New years eve as I started training program that day. By the 3rd my lungs were 100% better than previous.
  • aliparry
    aliparry Posts: 14 Member
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    I smoked on and off for 20 years and have run regularly for the last 10. I quit smoking in September 2012 and I noticed a massive difference within the first week or so. If I have to stop or slow down now it is not due to wanting to hack a lung up and my 5k time is 3 mins quicker than my previous average!
  • blissfulself
    blissfulself Posts: 193 Member
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    congrats to your sis and to everyone here who quit! I quit 6 months ago after smoking over a pack a day for about 10 years. I noticed I could run further/not get out of breath very quickly after I quit- within the first few weeks. I would jog on the treadmill for short amounts of time when I smoked, but couldn't last very long. Very soon after quitting I could already tell a difference in how fast/far I could go. Now my mind and body always give out before my lungs.
  • linbert57
    linbert57 Posts: 154 Member
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    I quit smoking July 2012 with the help of a research study being held at a local hospital. We were given Chantix, counseling, and were put in either a relaxation group or an exercise group. I was lucky enough to get the relaxation group because I thought learning relaxation techniques would help with stress which triggers lighting up. The deep breathing exercises were difficult at first, but in a few weeks I had noticed my lung capacity had improved immensely. I know that I can push myself further while I exercise now and that my heart and lungs are healing. Good luck to your sister
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
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    I quit when I was 34 after 15 years of smoking. When I was 32-33 I would ride my bike home from work, 9 miles in 45 nonstop minutes of up and down hills (with a stop light at the bottom of every hill) and I'd usually light up a cigarette when I was about halfway home, and keep up the same pace while smoking.

    Two years later I had gained weight and couldn't do anything without getting short of breath. At 38 after I lost the weight and started up with regular biking and stuff, I was back to at least as much endurance as I'd had at 32.

    I'm sure a lot of it depends on how good your lungs were in the first place, what you smoked (very low tar vs high tar I would guess, for me it was ultra lights) and how deeply you regularly inhaled it. (You can get all the 'joy' of smoking and all the nicotine with barely inhaling past your throat.)

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