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Smoking facts
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Here are some tips to combat withdrawal symptoms.
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MOST SMOKERS want to quit smoking, but withdrawal symptoms like craving, mood changes and weight gain often force a smoker to go back to the tobacco leaf. Weight gain is especially bothersome because it makes the smoker feel that quitting smoking may actually be harmful to health, and the fear of gaining weight prevents some smokers from quitting smoking in the first place.
A few facts first
Nicotine keeps bodyweight artificially low, and its absence makes the body revert to its natural weight. Smokers with a habit of more than 10 years, or more than a pack a day, are more likely to gain weight. The few kilos gained after quitting smoking is not as bad as it sounds. A couple of these kilos actually represent water retention by the body. Besides, one would have to gain around 75 kilos to match the health risk that smoking represents.
The best way to avoid weight gain after quitting smoking is to begin exercising and start eating right before giving up smoking. Weight gain tends to mess with your self-esteem and self-image.Increasing calorie expenditure and decreasing calorie intake before quitting improves the chances of success by keeping body weight at an optimum level through the long and arduous quitting process.
Exercise also improves the chances of quitting smoking by combating the depression and irritability that affects most smokers newly divorced from the nicotine habit. Exercise improves lung function impaired by tobacco smoke and increases work capacity. Cardiovascular capacity increases due to exercise and goes some way towards strengthening a heart weakened by tobacco.
Increase gradually the time you spend on exercise; an abrupt increase in exercise duration is a physical and mental stress that most smokers cannot handle.
Begin by forgoing the lift for the stairs. Do more housework, take up gardening, and walk to the grocery store instead of driving to it. Ten minutes of walking is a good beginning on the first day.
Combat craving
Craving for nicotine can be very intense. But most episodes of craving last no more than five minutes, and going for a walk — rather than reaching for some food, is a great way to combat craving while maintaining body weight.
RAJIV. M
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