HOW RUNNING KILLS OFF SMOKING - STAGE TWO
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New readers start here, to mug up on the essence of Stage One, which was covered in my last Blog. There's only one surefire way of quitting – become a runner.
Once you do take up running the need or desire for a fag falls away, automatically, by a kind of natural magic. No drugs, no hypnosis, no patches, no merciless scolding of yourself, just get out and have a hard run three or four times a week. It’s enjoyable too, whatever the weather, as long as you wrap up in two, three, four or five layers of warm and wet-tops.
What’s much more, once you do quit you give it up for good. Although all the other treatments can achieve quite a high rate of quitting, alas more than half of their ex-smokers then backslide before a year is out.
Okay?
Taking up running is suitable for almost anybody. Those active in some sport already can make use of it for cross-training. At the very least it will boost their staying power due to its aerobic effects. Don’t laugh, but even chess-players will benefit! It does wonders for brainpower, once again by aerobics - better blood circulation for the brain. As everyone knows the brain takes a huge share of the body’s supply of blood and if it is kept on short commons it can’t work as well, stupid!
So, don’t worry about expensive gear, even old-style sandshoes will do, step out through the front door and go round the block. For the first week, once round the block will do, then step it up the next time. Then, if there is one, make for the nearest park and fall in behind the others there, starting behind the prettiest girls.
There are people who hate to miss a day, never mind three times a week. Thirty years ago, when I was starting running as a Vet, I used to go out with John Bryant, a famous streaker, never missed a day, year in, year out, rain or shine, in town or in Ecuador or China. I think John today is a top editor of The Times, bet he gets out daily.
Your best bet is to join a running club – there’ll be one or two near you, wherever you are - in Britain there are over a thousand official clubs, but twice as many groups that just get together, meet Sunday morning at the ponds or on the towpath. That supplies you with a kind of discipline, or deadline, to bolster up your good resolution.
Yours ever,
Nosmo King
Related Links:
- Dan Britt, a NJ drummer/instructor who conducts clinics in schools, quit smoking and began running.
- The members of Runner's World forum discuss trying to give up smoking and start running simultaneously.
- Quit Smoking Pro, a blog about giving up, describes actor Matt Dillon's experiences:
"After running four miles, the last thing you want to do is light up a cigarette. If I hadn't started exercising, I might have picked up the habit again."
 | Author: | Sylvester Stein (Sylvester Stein's profile, Sylvester Stein's blog) |
 | Posted On: | Tuesday, 3rd July '07, 3:47pm |
 | Tags: | Exercise, Fitness, Marathon Training, Running and Training Programs |
 | Comments: | 2 comments, go to comments |
Comments
Thank you very much for this
timada
Thank you very much for this article. I think it might work for me. I am struggling to quite smoking for one year now, and apparently I don’t have enough will to do it! I am scared that cuting off my daily cigars might make me gain weight. However, quitting while running looks like a perfect solution for me. Running will help me quit and keep myself in shape in the same time!
This is some great
lacey2008
This is some great information to know. I just quit smoking, and I thought I would have to go through addiction treatment to get better. I went from smoking to eating pretty much. I gained so much weight, and I did not know that running helped. Thank you so much for sharing that! It's going to be very helpful for me now.