Hit the GYM to get out of smoking addiction !!

HIT the GYM will help female smokers to curb their nicotine cravings.

Ladies, addicted to smoking? Well, hitting the gym may be a solution. Moderate exercise can help women smokers curb their nicotine cravings, but only for the time being.

"Exercise may be a useful strategy, but it has to be done frequently enough and consistently enough because the effects that it has diminish over time" said David Williams of Brown University, who led a study for treating women smokers by exercise.

Sixty female smokers signed in for a eight-week regimen of smoking cessation treatment, reports the journal Addictive Behaviours. Half were assigned to the exercise group, in which they briskly walked on a treadmill at the study centre for 50 minutes three times a week.

The other half in the control group watched 30-minute health and wellness videos three times a week. For each group, the researchers asked them about their mood and cigarette cravings immediately before and after each session. They also asked them again when they reached their next destination after each exercise or wellness session.

The researchers found that, relative to participants in the control group, those who exercised were more likely to experience improved mood and decreased cigarette cravings, but that these effects dissipated by the time of their next exercise session.

Source : TOI

Effects of Smoking & Reasons to Quit - Part 4

THE BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING

• Within 2 weeks to 3 months of quitting - your circulation improves and walking becomes easier; your lung function increases by up to 30%.
• Within 1 to 9 months of quitting - your overall energy typically increases and symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath improve. You will have fewer illnesses, colds, and asthma attacks. You will gradually no longer be short of breath with everyday activities.
• Within 1 year of quitting - your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone still using tobacco.
• Within 5 years of quitting - your lung cancer death rate decreases by nearly 50% compared to one pack per day smokers; your risk of cancer of the mouth is half that of a tobacco user.
• Within 10 years of quitting - your lung cancer death rate becomes similar to that of someone who never smoked; precancerous cells are replaced with normal cells; your risk of stroke is lowered, possibly to that of a nonsmoker; your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas all go down.
• Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is difficult, especially if you are acting alone. There are a lot of ways to quit smoking and many resources to help you.
• Family members, friends, and coworkers may be supportive or encouraging.
• Talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation medications.
• If you join smoking cessation programs, you have a much better chance of success. Such programs are offered by hospitals, health departments, community centers, and work sites.

Concluded

Effects of Smoking & Reasons to Quit - Part 3

THE BENEFITS OF QUITTING SMOKING

You will notice many benefits of quitting right away :

• Your breath, clothes, and hair will smell better
• Your sense of smell will return and food will taste better
• Your fingers and fingernails will slowly appear less yellow
• Your stained teeth will slowly become whiter
• Your home, work, and social life will also improve immediately:
• Your children will be less likely to start smoking themselves
• It will be easier and cheaper to find an apartment
• You will miss fewer work days, or you may have an easier time getting a job
• The constant search for a place to smoke when you're out will be over
• Friends will be more willing to be in your car or home
• You will have more money available
• Some health benefits begin almost immediately too, but every week, month, and year without tobacco use only improves your health.
• Within 20 minutes of quitting - your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
• Within 8 hours of quitting - your blood carbon monoxide levels drop and your blood oxygen levels increase, both to normal levels.
• Within 24 hours of quitting - your risk of a sudden heart attack decreases.
• Within 48 hours of quitting - nerve endings begin to regenerate and your senses of smell and taste begin to return to normal.

To Be Continued....

Effects of Smoking & Reasons to Quit - Part 2

Here are some effects of cigarette smoking to your health :

Cancer

• Most forms of cancer are particularly lung cancer, kidney cancer, cancer of the larynx, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, bladder, pancreas, esophagus, and stomach cancer.

• Cancer is the second leading cause of death and was among the first diseases casually linked to smoking.

• Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancer deaths in women and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in men. 

• The risk of dying from lung cancer is more than 23 times higher among men who smoke cigarettes, and about 13 times higher among women who smoke cigarettes compared with non smokers.

• Rates of cancers related to cigarette smoking vary widely among members of racial/ethnic groups, but are generally highest in African-American men.

Cardiovascular disease

• Cardiovascular disease involves the heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins).

• Smoking causes coronary heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States.

• It approximately doubles a person's risk for stroke.

• Cigarette smoking causes reduced circulation by narrowing the blood vessels (arteries). Smokers are more than 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to develop peripheral vascular disease.

• Cigarette smoking causes abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Respiratory disease and other effects

• Cigarette smoking is associated with a 10 times increase in the risk of dying from chronic obstructive lung disease.

• Cigarette smoking has many adverse reproductive and early childhood effects including an increased risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

• Postmenopausal women who smoke have lower bone density than women who never smoked.

To Be Continued....

Effects of Smoking & Reasons to Quit - Part 1

Smoking 

The act of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning tobacco in cigars, cigarettes or pipes is called cigarette smoking. Originally it was started by Native Americans and was practiced in rituals and for medicinal purposes. But slowly it spread to other parts of the World and by the end of 19th century the use was widespread all over the earth. There are various methods of smoking. They are cigarette, cigar, pipe, hookah or sheesha.

Today the habit is so rampant that many Governments have come down heavily on tobacco manufacturers and sellers in the form of heavy taxation for tobacco and tobacco products.

Effects of Smoking

Tobacco smoke contains a substance called nicotine, a poisonous alkoid. It also has substances such as carbon monoxide, acrolien, ammonia, prussic acid, aldehydes and tar. Tobacco contains about 4000 chemicals which when heated produce a lot of substances that cause irreparable damages to the health.

Natural Stop Smoking Aid

Cigarette smoking is very dangerous to everyone's health because it harms almost all organs in the body which causes many diseases and reduced health of smokers in general. According to the Surgeon General, smoking cigarettes is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States resulting in about 400,000 deaths each year. If you smoke, it means you are giving yourself a slow poison treatment. Cigarette smoking does not only affect the smoker's health but also affects the nearby standing individual like your kids as their organs are in the developing stage. Most of the diseases caused due to smoking are so severe that there are no treatments available for these diseases. Now is the time to think of ways you can effectively quit smoking immediately.

To Be Continued....

How to avoid getting nightmares !!

Relax before bedtime. 

Meditate, take a bath, drink some herbal tea or do mild stretching exercises. 

Clear your mind of any worries you might have. 

Make a list of your problems and their possible solutions, and then look at them again the next day. 

Avoid watching the evening news, horror movies or movies with graphic violence right before bedtime. 

Eat a light snack such as milk or yogurt. Both contain calcium and tryptophan, which can have a relaxing effect on you. 

Avoid fatty and spicy foods, which could cause gas and, in turn, nightmares. 

Give up smoking. Nicotine has been linked to certain sleep disorders. 

Stop using any drugs that are not essential to your health and well-being. 

In case you have a nightmare, write it down when you wake up. Try to figure out how it relates to your life at present, to prevent it from recurring. 

Tips To Reduce Stress

1. Contribute to a good cause.


2. Drink plenty of water. Minimum of 8 glasses per day.


3. Read good books to divert mind.


4. Quit smoking and alcohol consumption.


5. Make a 'To do list' and a time table for each day well in advance.


6. Share your feelings with friends and loved ones.


7. Forgive others. Don't remain angry for long .Be frank and open-minded.


8. Concentrate on hobbies.


9. Take breaks in between work. Don't work too long .


10. Get enough rest. Sleep at least 7 hrs a day.