Smoking cessation may be considered as a huge challenge for most smokers, especially when they have built a strong addiction to nicotine. Smokers may understand the negative effects of smoking on one’s general health, yet controlling nicotine cravings often pose a huge obstacle to quitting smoking. For others, smoking cessation may also bring about weight gain and these individuals are definitely not prepared for counting calories in their diets.
Healthy Lifestyle – Healthy Diets
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For a non-smoker who simply wishes to get in shape and lead a healthy lifestyle, counting calories consumed early day based on their regular diets may be the best way to go. In addition, engaging in regular exercise may also facilitate in burning excess calories consumed from daily diets. Coupling counting calories in diets and regular exercise may thus result in good general health.
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In the case of smokers, counting calories in the daily diets and engaging in exercise may be quite challenging, especially when they are also dealing with nicotine cravings. In addition, most smokers have not performed any exercise in years because their lung health may be less superior as compared to that of non-smokers. Going back to exercise programs may be difficult, yet it is always not too late to try. To start counting calories in one’s daily diets may also help curb the excessive eating that smokers may experience once they quite smoking.
According to the latest medical report published in The Cochrane Library, there are currently several exercise regimens that may help in curbing those nicotine cravings. The report identified approximately fifteen clinical trials that have used exercise in smoking cessation programs. The clinical trials have shown that exercise helps ex-smokers in getting back in shape, as well as in reducing the need for counting calories in the daily diets to lose weight. More importantly, these exercise programs have helped keep these ex-smokers from going back to smoking.
Exercise and Abstinence from Eating
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The study showed that performing exercise has resulted in a higher level of abstinence from eating, thus reducing the need for counting calories in the diets. The study participants of these clinical trials were monitored for approximately 12 months and these subjects then remained smoke-free and were still performing regular exercise. The study participants were also observed to have adapted the act of counting calories consumed in their diets and this replaced the activity of smoking among these individuals.
For years, physicians have recommended that smokers engage in physical activities in order to decrease the impact of smoking cessation. However, there is still a large percentage of smokers who have failed in quitting smoking, possibly due to the poor design of the smoking cessation program. In other cases, smoking cessation is less appealing because of fear of gaining weight. Counting calories in the daily diets may help in controlling excessive weight gain among individuals who have decided to quit smoking, yet this act may be very challenging. Smokers who lead a very hectic daily schedule often find smoking cessation as a waste of their time and thus would continue on with their craving for nicotine.
The recent medical report has shown that physical activity may decrease nicotine cravings among smokers and coupling this with counting calories in diets may result in a successful lifestyle change. To increase the chance of quitting smoking, it may also be helpful to seek the advice of a medical doctor, who may recommended a specific exercise regimen that has been designed for former smokers. It may also be beneficial to ask for a referral for a physical activity trainer, who understands how one’s body responds right after smoking cessation. Getting over those nicotine cravings may definitely result in endless healthier options for every individual.
