Exercise
Can Help in Quitting Smoking
Alexandra Cann -
WALKING magazine
Talk about rotten deals: You manage to stop
smoking, only to gain weight. Now a new study raises hope that exercise can
help you quit and curb weight gain.
Some researchers at Rhode Island's Miriam
Hospital enrolled 281 women in a smoking-cessation program. Half also were
assigned vigorous cardiovascular fitness routines.
At the end of the sessions, the exercise
group had a higher rate of success and smaller weight gains, says study leader
Dr. Bess Marcus. She says more research is needed, but she speculates that
exercise enabled women to relax their fears of gaining weight and eased the
depression that often accompanies quitting smoking. Other benefits included a
boost in mood and energy levels, she said.
"I would recommend that anyone trying to
quit smoking after consulting with a physician start exercising," she says. "It
can only help."
Weight loss: Let's make a meal
Sticking to a diet is tough, as everyone knows. Toss in a rumbling stomach and
the 3 p.m. munchies, and the effort needed becomes almost superhuman.
But a new study suggests that sticking to
your normal eating schedule (snacks included) and focusing instead on changing
what you eat during those times could make the struggle a bit easier.
After putting 81 men on different eating
schedules and diets, researchers in Ireland found that the men who continued to
eat according to their traditional schedules had more success sticking with the
plan.
These men selected lowfat foods and snacks,
but kept eating at their regular times. Instructed to limit their food intake
to three meals a day, the other men had a harder time sticking to their diets,
showing that changing what you eat — not when — could be your key to
diet success.
For more help quitting smoking, go to:
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