The safest and most effective way to quit smoking

Quitting smoking is difficult. However, it does not mean that it is impossible if you are really determined. Just know that diseases caused by smoking have claimed at least 235 thousand lives per year in Indonesia. Well! One of the simplest, cheapest, and proven effective ways to quit smoking that you can do starting now is exercise. Regular exercise can stop the cravings for smoking again when you are halfway to a nicotine-free life.

Recognize the signs of smoking withdrawal

Cigarette withdrawal symptoms usually appear worst in the first few weeks you start quitting smoking. This period is the most vulnerable to making (prospective) former smokers finally tempted to come back "Sebat (a cigarette-ed) first! ”.

If you are determined to quit smoking once and for all, then you need to identify the various withdrawal symptoms that may arise and deal with them before they actually haunt you.

Quitting smoking causes different symptoms for each person, but they are usually quite annoying to carry out routine activities. This can affect a person's physical or psychological condition.

Physical symptoms that appear when you stop smoking:

• Experiencing flu-like symptoms; sore throat and cough.
• Cold sensation at the ends of the body (fingers and toes, top of the head).
• Feel limp.
• Dizzy.
• Increased appetite.
• Nausea and stomach cramps.
• Headache.
• Sweating without cause.
• The mouth is sour and bitter.

While the emotional and psychological effects that may arise from the first week of quitting smoking are:

• Drastic mood changes (mood swings); irritable, irritable, impatient, irritable.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Insomnia.
• The irresistible cravings to smoke again.
• Depression symptoms.
• Anxiety and boredom.

How exercise can help you quit smoking

As cliché as it may sound, in fact changing a bad habit (in this case, smoking) with a better habit (exercise) is the best strategy to start quitting smoking. The big picture, this new routine can improve your mood and help take your mind off cigarettes. Regular exercise also makes the body more energized so that it doesn't create the need for smoking again.

In addition, exercise is also an effective way of quitting smoking thanks to the various good changes it produces in the body.

1. Exercise reduces the effects of nicotine on the brain

Nicotine is a substance that is naturally found in tobacco. The opiate effect is even as strong as heroin or cocaine. Nicotine also plays a role in suppressing depressant mood by affecting the flow between nerve cells. In fact, nicotine from cigarette smoke can reach the brain faster than drugs that are injected through a vein.

A 2017 study examining a group of mice that were exposed to nicotine for two weeks showed that nicotine levels in the brain dropped dramatically after they were made to run a spinning wheel for a period of 2 to 24 hours.

The results of this study also showed that mice who routinely did physical activity tended to show fewer withdrawal symptoms, and if the effect appeared, it was lighter, compared to mice who did not have physical activity.

2. Overcoming excess hunger

Smokers are usually more resistant to hunger or full faster. Apart from its toxic effect, it disrupts the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin and stomach acid, some of the smoke that enters the body is "swallowed" by the stomach, making the stomach feel bloated and fuller.

Now, when you stop smoking, the body's hormone production will return more regularly and the stomach will no longer expand because it is filled with gas (cigarette smoke). That's why quitting smoking can make you gain weight.

Regular exercise can control the secretion of the hormone ghrelin which triggers hunger.

3. Overcoming stress and anxiety due to quitting smoking

Cigarettes are often seen as a stress reliever. But in fact, cigarette poison will actually become free radicals in the body that can trigger a stress response, both emotionally and physically.

Well, regular exercise trains the body to be able to respond to stress better. Exercise decreases the production of the stress hormone cortisol, which causes symptoms of excessive stress and anxiety, to replace it with endorphins, which can have a happy effect.

How to quit smoking with regular exercise

Keep in mind that quitting smoking and exercise habits are two things that must be done gradually but on an ongoing basis.

To start actively exercising as a way to quit smoking, here are some things you can do from now on:

• Set a time for you to exercise regularly, such as every morning or evening
• Take a minimum of about 30 minutes a day to exercise, at least 3-5 days per week. Create a specific exercise schedule if necessary.
• Choose the type of physical activity that you enjoy the most so you don't feel overwhelmed.

Starting from mild types of exercise, such as walking, cycling around the complex, swimming, yoga, to muscle strength training such as lifting weights, squats, and planks. Cleaning the house and gardening can also be used as an alternative to physical activity besides sports.

Whatever type of exercise you choose as a way to quit smoking is actually just as good. As long as you don't overdo it.

Shortness of breath during exercise is common in smokers who are just trying to quit. When your breath starts to run out, making it difficult for you to speak, immediately stop the activity and take a short break. To avoid this, start slowly. Especially if you have never been active in sports before.

Once your body adapts to your new exercise routine and lung function improves slowly. You can increase the intensity of the exercise gradually. gradually, exercising will become easier.