We all know that smoking is not good for your health. However, how does smoking actually affect your body? This month is Stoptober! For us as physiotherapists, a reason to point out to you why, as a smoker, it does a lot of positive things to your body when you decide to quit. For example, did you know that heavy smokers who finally quit already have a reduced risk of serious diseases after about five years than heavy smokers who do not quit? So don't let your health go up in smoke!
Quitting smoking always makes sense
Several studies have shown that smoking is harmful to health and can cause neurological and cardiovascular complaints as well as musculoskeletal complaints. In addition, it can also indirectly interfere with treatment programmes of our physiotherapists.
Did you know that it always makes sense to quit smoking temporarily or permanently. That's how bad this habit is. In the short term, for example, not smoking for 20 minutes can already cause a drop in your blood pressure and heart rate. Do you stop for about 48 hours? Then you may suddenly start smelling and tasting better. Thus, we have listed some important facts about smoking.
1. Non-smokers have more energy
The moment you start smoking, your energy level is lowered. When you light up a cigarette, you get an uplifting and energetic feeling. But as the nicotine in your body decreases, the same happens to your energy levels. So to constantly feel energised, you would have to constantly light up a cigarette. As you can understand, this is not ideal for your health. It is better to leave the cigarette and start exercising.
2. For smokers, recovery is slower
Once you have suffered an injury, recovery takes a lot longer if you regularly light up a cigarette. This is because recovery from an injury needs good blood flow. The moment nicotine enters our body, blood and capillaries are squeezed shut.
3. Exercise helps with smoking cessation.
Sports and exercise in general play a big role in quitting smoking. Someone who has quit and exercises regularly will keep the cigarette down faster than someone who does not exercise. Exercise helps reduce the craving for a cigarette and is better for your overall health. This is because you get more energy, which also makes you feel good about yourself.
4. Reduced lung capacity due to smoking
Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to the lungs. The lungs get less oxygen and you run out of breath sooner, making it harder to sustain strenuous activities. This can be a reason to stop moving, as it does not make you feel pleasant. This results in you moving less and less, which is even more bad for your health.
5. Sports and smoking
The moment your body exerts itself, more oxygen is transported to the lungs. However, smoking causes less oxygen to be transported to the muscles. Thus, this does not promote the mobility of the body. Exercise on the other hand also affects smoking. Thus, it reduces the craving for a cigarette and can greatly alleviate additional symptoms that smoking brings, such as stress and sleep disorders. The moment you choose to start exercising, you are already engaging in a healthy lifestyle and are more likely to want to quit smoking.
Stoptober as an incentive to quit smoking
Need an extra push? Then you can join the intiative 'Stoptober' for 28 +/- days (https://stoptober.nl/). This initiative helps people quit smoking by keeping it up for 28 days. The AMC itself proved that 70% of the participants quit. A great time to participate in this!
Do you smoke and want to quit this or are you unable to quit smoking and would like support? Then contact FriskFysio
The moment you want to stop smoking and need support to do so, you can contact with us. We can also be reached at 085-5000333 or via info@friskfysio.nl. Together, we will make sure you get rid of this habit and are on your way to a healthy and improved lifestyle.
