Smoking and Exercise?

blazeybug87
blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
edited November 9 in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone here given up smoking recently? How much of an effect has it had on your overall fitness levels do you think and over what sort of time span can you expect to see results?

Cheers x

Replies

  • sexyagainbysummer
    sexyagainbysummer Posts: 47 Member
    i myself am a smoker and working out :( i need to quit. when i get to running on the treadmill i cant breathe. almost like an anxiety attack. r u quitting?
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Yeah, just. 1 day smoke free but I am not even tempted.

    I do not ever want another one again - it's just another thing stopping me from being where I want to be really :)
  • Whodatgirl77
    Whodatgirl77 Posts: 238 Member
    I recommend Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. It's fairly incredible.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    I quit last year after I tried to start running again. Before I quit I could not run a mile. After I quit, I waited about two weeks and when I went out to run I could easily run a mile. Now, after a year, I run 60 to 90 miles each week.

    You will see benefits to your athletic ability within a week or two. Things continue to get better after that.
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Yaaay Thanks Scott that's great news - I didn't expect it to impact so soon :)
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Am using patches and getting on okay with them, totally taken away my cravings and reduced it to a 'hmmm I fancy a ciggie', which is quite easy to ignore.

    I think they may be giving me some bizarre dreams though - last night I was hunted down and chased by millions of rats. All very odd...
  • McKristy
    McKristy Posts: 53
    You will see a huge difference. You'll be able to breathe better which means you can work harder. I felt the effects right away, but they were measurable results a few months after I quit.
  • cmeripped
    cmeripped Posts: 3
    I am a smoker and I do 60 min of cardio every morning and every other day wieght training. I'm not saying it is an ideal situation..however I dont allow a smoke 2 hours before or after a workout. So up at 4am...cant smoke till the cardio is done and a 30 minute stair charge...
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    I am ONE MONTH SMOKE FREE and it has made a huge difference. I am a runner and it now is not such a struggle and I have notice my calorie burns are lower since my heart is not working as hard and getting more oxegyn!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    I use an electronic cigarette, you just inhale vapor and nicotine. Highly recommended.
    That's what I use also. It really works.
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    I am ONE MONTH SMOKE FREE and it has made a huge difference. I am a runner and it now is not such a struggle and I have notice my calorie burns are lower since my heart is not working as hard and getting more oxegyn!

    Very well done to you!!!!!
  • Valkyriewoman
    Valkyriewoman Posts: 120 Member
    I smoked through the fourth month of training, but then just couldn't any longer. I couldn't breathe during the workouts with my trainer. Quitting has made a tremendous amount of difference for me! I've been smoke free for almost two years and have much better lung capacity.
  • wendyd18
    wendyd18 Posts: 32
    I stopped 11 weeks ago and tbh i have found it difficult at times, i have been tempted but have stayed strong. I have found it easier to ensure i have kept away from any friends that smoke too. even though i miss them very much, i know it will be worth it in the end.
    I certainly feel much better fitter for definate. I also have a much stronger sense of smell oh and food tastes diffferent.
    The only down side was the weight i put on hence why i joined MFP.
    I dont feel so tired anymore and can walk much further and faster without think im going to die
    keep up the good work
    feel free to add me, i will support you with the non smoking all the way
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    Am using patches and getting on okay with them, totally taken away my cravings and reduced it to a 'hmmm I fancy a ciggie', which is quite easy to ignore.

    I think they may be giving me some bizarre dreams though - last night I was hunted down and chased by millions of rats. All very odd...

    this is why I stopped using the patch. It was interfering with my sleep-so I have done it pretty much cold turkey!
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    I am a smoker and I do 60 min of cardio every morning and every other day wieght training. I'm not saying it is an ideal situation..however I dont allow a smoke 2 hours before or after a workout. So up at 4am...cant smoke till the cardio is done and a 30 minute stair charge...

    It's really good that you can do that :) I have really low fitness levels to start with and I know quitting is going to help boost my ability so really feel driven to do it.

    You are better than me - 4am?! *shivers in horror*
  • paulamarsden
    paulamarsden Posts: 483 Member
    im not ready to quit.

    i enjoy smoking, dont smoke a huge amount and roll my own with tips.

    i also need to drop weight before i even consider it.
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    I smoked through the fourth month of training, but then just couldn't any longer. I couldn't breathe during the workouts with my trainer. Quitting has made a tremendous amount of difference for me! I've been smoke free for almost two years and have much better lung capacity.

    Well done!!!
  • beckipercy
    beckipercy Posts: 160 Member
    I really want to quit smoking, as a way to improve my health even more, but I really don't have the willpower to do it at the same time as changing my eating habits, so it will have to wait until I have got that a little more stable I think.

    Good luck with it, and well done, it's such a hard thing to do, and the first day is one of the hardest :flowerforyou:
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    I stopped 11 weeks ago and tbh i have found it difficult at times, i have been tempted but have stayed strong. I have found it easier to ensure i have kept away from any friends that smoke too. even though i miss them very much, i know it will be worth it in the end.
    I certainly feel much better fitter for definate. I also have a much stronger sense of smell oh and food tastes diffferent.
    The only down side was the weight i put on hence why i joined MFP.
    I dont feel so tired anymore and can walk much further and faster without think im going to die
    keep up the good work
    feel free to add me, i will support you with the non smoking all the way

    Thanks - will add if that's okay?

    The only part I am worried about is when I have a drink as I know I will crave one. Am using my lifecoaching and NLP techniques to try and convince myself otherwise but I just know myself too well. Looks like I might be teetotal for a while too - What a barrel of laughs I am going to be!! HA
  • Cupcake1015
    Cupcake1015 Posts: 109 Member
    I quit almost 8 weeks ago. I started exercising more when I quit because I was afraid I would gain weight. I've lost 6 pounds, can breathe a lot easier, and feel great! you can do it! I smoked for 13 years, and if I can stop smoking, you can too!
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    I wasn't a heavy smoker to begin with (probably one or two cigarettes every 3 or so months) but I decided to take a break...(im not that sure if I'm totally quitting for the rest of my life but I probably will because I got tired of not being able to breath). So far it's been about 2 months since I had my last cigarette and I've been good and I feel much better when I'm jogging, sometimes I keep waiting for me to start getting out of breath and I'm finding myself more and more being able to sustain longer periods of time without feeling like I'm about to fall over from shortness of breath.
  • gailashton
    gailashton Posts: 292
    Quit smoking quite some time ago. huge difference in the workout and the lung capacity. Oh, and did I mention, I smell better too. You will see a huge difference, it just takes time. If you are deconditioned, overweight or both, all those things are factors as well. I feel like I'm half my age now! Then of course there's the not coughing until I vomited at night and spitting up all the crap in the morning, frequent sinus infections, bronchitis.... ALL GONE...... hardest thing I ever did, but so worth it! Give it a little more time - you will see a huge difference!
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    I quit almost 8 weeks ago. I started exercising more when I quit because I was afraid I would gain weight. I've lost 6 pounds, can breathe a lot easier, and feel great! you can do it! I smoked for 13 years, and if I can stop smoking, you can too!

    Well done to you!!!
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Quit smoking quite some time ago. huge difference in the workout and the lung capacity. Oh, and did I mention, I smell better too. You will see a huge difference, it just takes time. If you are deconditioned, overweight or both, all those things are factors as well. I feel like I'm half my age now! Then of course there's the not coughing until I vomited at night and spitting up all the crap in the morning, frequent sinus infections, bronchitis.... ALL GONE...... hardest thing I ever did, but so worth it! Give it a little more time - you will see a huge difference!

    Oh yeah - didn't even think about the smelly part!
  • bobbin1
    bobbin1 Posts: 60
    I have been smoke free for 14 months and in that time put on approx. 20 lbs because I did not exercise. It was hard to quit but is almost as hard to loss the weight. If you are quitting do what you can in the exercise catagory. It will definetely make quitting easier and eventually exercise easier. I know you can do it.
  • blazeybug87
    blazeybug87 Posts: 226 Member
    Will do, cheers!

    It's partly due to my desire to exercise that has made me quit so fingers crossed I don't become a slacker in the gym!!!
  • az82
    az82 Posts: 152
    I quit cold turkey about 5 months ago. I'd been smoking about a pack a day for well over 10 years. I definitely had a smoker's cough and a smoker's laugh...you know, that weezing sound that comes out that turns into a cough by the time you are done. For the first few weeks it was hard... but to tell you the truth, I don't really miss it anymore. Yes, there are moments - like when I'm around my friends who still smoke. Sometimes I still think it smells good. Weird, I know. But for the most part I've kind of forgotten what it feels like to be a smoker or to have that need for a cigarette. About a week after I quit I started the C25K running program. The first couple of weeks I was really struggling. After I finished running I would definitely cough quite a bit and struggled to breath. Part of it was my general lack of fitness but mostly it was because of smoking. Now I can run for about 35 minutes straight and breathing is so much easier - I don't cough at all and I just have greater lung capacity while running. I do other types of cardio too - Zumba, elliptical machine, biking... and I feel like they are all much easier after quitting. Oh, and food tastes better too, which is a definite plus.
  • Taitiant
    Taitiant Posts: 65
    I am 1 month smoke free as of the 6th!!! I was smoking for about 15 years, and only quit when i was preggo with my 2 kids... It has been a BAD habbit i strugled with my whole life really. But i finally made the decision to just QUIT! And i did. I havnt even thought about it since ive been working out.. Actually makes me Cringe the thought of it now. My chest still burns as if i were smoking, but i know in time i will feel MUCH better! Starting 2 goals Scared the heck out of me, but im managing, and take it 1 day at a time!!!
    I give my FULL support to anyone who wants help quiting!!! I even got my Husband to quit with me!! He uses the E-Cigg thing ocasionally!

    Good luck to those who are trying!!! Mind over matter!! :flowerforyou:
  • ramsesmeza
    ramsesmeza Posts: 14
    I give myself a break on the weekend. I smoke usually on fridays or saturdays when i go out, but i try not to smoke so many cigarettes. I dont smoke during the week because my fitness levels come down and i dont have as much resistance as i do when i dont smoke. I do spinning, running and rope jumping, if i smoked during the week i couldnt do any of my workouts. My goal is to quit for good though. :)
  • Tranquil_Miche
    Tranquil_Miche Posts: 66
    I recently stopped smoking. I’m on day six without a cigarette. The past Sunday I discovered I had the flu, and Monday I woke up with a fever and a cough that felt like I had fluid in my lungs. It turned out I had the flu that moved on to become bronchitis. I decided there is no better opportunity than now to quit, so I made up my mind and said I will not smoke again. I had contemplated quitting for awhile, but never made a date. This is it though. I threw all my cigarettes out along with all the paraphernalia, and yesterday cleaned out my car to get rid of the reminders. I have given up nearly half my life as a smoker (13 years). I am done with smoking.

    I don’t know as of yet how this will affect my physical fitness, but I can imagine that there will only be benefits. As soon as I get over this bronchitis crud I am confident I will notice an impact.
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