Exercise Helps You Quit Smoking

Did you know that changes in brain activity, stimulated by physical exercise, may help  reduce nicotine cravings and help you quit smoking?  According to recent studies, which used MRI machines to investigate brain processing, exercise changes the way the brain processes information among smokers, and actually reduces cravings for nicotine and smokers often report reduced cigarette cravings after exercising. This lends even more support to a growing body of evidence that exercise can help manage addictions to nicotine and other substances, and backs up previous studies, that show that just one short burst of exercise can reduce smokers’ nicotine cravings significantly.

So what exactly is exercise doing to help this withdrawal process?  Well, researchers do not know exactly what the mechanism is, but have suggested that exercise raises mood, possibly through increases in dopamine, which reduces the importance of wanting a cigarette in the brain.  Another possibility is that it causes a change in blood flow to areas of the brain less that are involved in the anticipation of reward and pleasure that are generated by smoking.

But while we wait, start out with cardio exercise such as running, walking, and elliptical trainers are excellent options for all around benefits, as are power yoga and pilates.  Remember, in the beginning phases, never exercise too hard and exercise according to your maximum heart rate, at 70 to 80 percent of heart rate.  Add in some weight training to enhance the muscle power and balance of the body and to avoid dizziness, end with five minutes of cool down exercises.

By the way, if fat-burning is your goal to avoid the post-quitting weight gain, studies have shown that interval training burns even more fat that endurance cardiovascular training.  Interval training includes short bursts of fast exercise, such as running, alternating with shorter bursts of exercise like fast walking.  Avoid high fat munchies and focus on high fiber snacks like fruits and veggies to keep weight off.