Smoking and Weight Gain 4
May 4th, 2008 | By quitsmoking-review | Category: TechniquesPut simplistically, your weight is a balance of how much energy you consume vs. how much energy you use. It is shown simply in the equation below:
Weight = daily intake - daily output - resting metabolism
Now, looking at that equation, if you continue to eat your normal amount of food, and your resting metabolism goes down after stopping smoking (because of nicotine) then the only way to maintain your weight is to increase your daily output through exercise. Exercising is very useful in helping smokers quit because the benefits of exercising are twofold:
- Vigorous exercise reduces craving (Marcus 1999)
- Vigorous exercise delays weight gain (Marcus 1999)
Not only can exercise aid weight control in general, it also acts independently to reduce stress and help control negative feelings, 2 common reasons for relapse among smokers who have quit. A study conducted by Marcus and colleagues in 1999 found that after a 12-week exercise program, there was evidence of better conditioning, less weight gain, and more importantly, cigarette abstinence. These effects were evident up to 1 year after the exercise programme.
Conclusions
30 minutes of activity a day is enough to prevent weight gain for most people. This is easily achieved with a slight modification to your daily routine. A good example is to take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to nearby diners instead of catching a cab, join a yoga class and going for power walks in the evening. The key to implementing a successful exercise regime is to make exercising a habit. Set aside some fixed time everyday for exercises and make it a routine. After a few weeks it will become a habit, and making exercising a habit is the key to your success.
30 minutes of activity a day is enough to prevent weight gain for most people. This is easily achieved with a slight modification to your daily routine. A good example is to take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to nearby diners instead of catching a cab, join a yoga class and going for power walks in the evening. The key to implementing a successful exercise regime is to make exercising a habit. Set aside some fixed time everyday for exercises and make it a routine. After a few weeks it will become a habit, and making exercising a habit is the key to your success.
