All physical activity has benefits for the body and mind. View exercise as a break from your day. Use this time to focus on the present, instead of past or future problems and worries. What are your favorite ways to be physically active?
Physical activity can help you quit and stay quit. It can also improve your energy level, ability to learn, and focus.
Emotional Health
Exercise releases endorphins and increases levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These brain chemicals help create feelings of happiness and euphoria. You may start to feel these benefits after just a few minutes of moderate exercise. This leads to a happiness buzz and overall mood boost!
Stress Management
Norepinephrine is a chemical that can moderate the brain’s response to stress. Exercise helps to increase that chemical. Exercise can decrease worry and tension. These may be triggers for you to smoke, dip, or vape. Exercise also enhances the mind’s ability to deal with daily stressors. Managing stressors can reduce urges to reach for your old habit. The calming effect of exercise can last at least four hours after the exercise is over.
Physical Health
Exercise helps strengthen your muscles and bones. This helps you have good posture and keeps your joints and body more aligned. Exercise strengthens your heart muscle so your heart is more efficient. This also helps reduce your risk of having a heart attack or blood clot. Exercise can also help lower your blood pressure. Your ability to breathe also improves, especially as you reduce and eliminate smoking. Exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood that fight off viruses and bacteria. Exercise also helps combat damage done to cells, tissues, and organs.
Recommendation: Be physically active for at least 2 ½ hours (150 minutes) per week. You can do this for 10, 15, 20, or 30 minutes at a time. Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise routine if you:
* Have a chronic health problem, such as heart disease or diabetes.
* Have high blood pressure.
* Feel faint or dizzy when you try to exercise.
* Have an injury or bone or joint problems, such as arthritis, that have been or could become aggravated by exercise.
Reduce Sit-Time
Find ways to move more throughout the day.
* Set an alarm on your watch or phone to get up every hour, if sitting.
* Stretch and walk for a few minutes to get more oxygen flowing through your body.
* Drink water regularly so you need to use the bathroom every few hours.
* Get up during commercial breaks on TV to tidy up a room or dust.
* Walk outside for a few minutes. Take a deep breath of fresh air.
* Walk to get lunch.
Move in Different Ways
All exercise and movement help give you the benefits. Finding activities you like doing and that you will keep doing is important for long-term success.
Cardiovascular (cardio) training uses large movements that involve multiple muscle groups, such as your legs, buttocks, and abdominals, all at once. Popular aerobic activities are brisk walking, running, cycling, swimming, and dancing.
Resistance training uses body weight or weights to build muscle. Move slowly through exercises, breathing regularly. Squats, lunges, push-ups, calf raises, and bicep curls are basic resistance movements.
Stretching helps your body be more flexible. This helps you prevent injury during exercise and everyday activities. Stretching can also help you relax.
