Smoking cravings are the number one challenge in getting people to quit smoking successfully. If there were no smoking cravings at cessation, then people would be quitting all over the place. If we hope to improve our nation's health and decrease the economic burden of smoking related diseases, we need to focus our attention on the two primary factors associated with smoking: 1) initiation and 2) smoking cravings.
We talked a little about initiation yesterday, so today, lets focus on one way to handle smoking cravings. Everyone has a tip on how they deal with the cravings. Some eat crunchy veggies, others drink a lot of water, while others us stop smoking aids like the patch or the gum. But what about exercise? If you have a smoking craving, it makes sense to occupy your mind and body with something else. It would appear that exercise would be a logical outlet for smoking cravings because it keeps the body and mind busy.
However, studies have shown that aerobic exercise doesn't help smoking cessation outcomes or withdrawal symptoms during quit attempts. While this may be true, laboratory studies also show that aerobic exercise does positively impact smoking cravings. So which is it, does aerobic exercise help or not?
Addictive Behaviors [2011 Aug;36(8):894-7. Epub 2011 Apr 15] published an article by Williams, et al called "Acute effects of moderate intensity aerobic exercise on affective withdrawal symptoms and cravings among women smokers". In there they conclude aerobic exercise does positively impact smoking cravings, but the affect quickly goes away. Obviously, you can't engage in aerobic exercise every time you have a smoking craving. It is simply beyond the human body's threshhold to engage in vigorous exercise every couple of hours, when the smoking cravings begin.
So aerobic exercise should be included in a smoker's quit program. It will help with their energy and relieve some of their smoking cravings. It may also help the smoker stave off the weight gain that can be associated with smoking cessation. But it cannot be the only strategy to battle smoking cravings.
People have to remember, that quitting an addiction is not simply following 1 step. There are many decisions that must be made each day, followed by more and more decisions. Behaviors must be changed, habits must be broken. It's like a catepillar transforming into a butterfly. When you emerge from your cocoon, you no longer crawl around eating leaves. Rather, you fly and search out nectar from flowers. It's a completely different lifestyle with different activities and approaches to problems.
So if you want to be successful in managing the smoking cravings, incorporate an exercise program. It will help with some of your smoking cravings. But it should be part of an overall quit strategy. Remember, if you fail to plan than you are planning to fail.
