Ex-smokers: How to get your sexy back after an ashtray affair.

January 17, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

When I was first coming off painkillers and valium, all I wanted was to curb the withdrawal.

And when nothing else was working out, I tried… working out.

(Which worked out really well.)

Aside from dermally purging all’a the toxins from your body, cardio infuses you with feel-good hormones.

(Yes, in withdrawal, random acts of violence start to seem like an optimal outlet before you hit the elliptical.)

Plus, it was an excellent way to drop that weight I’d gained from my back issues (the whole reason I was on the pills to start with.) Unfortunately though, not everyone’s former, respective, chemical obsessions allow for this. Sometimes recovery comprises physiological obstacles. For example, if you’re a smoker trying to change your ways, you’ve got a behemoth breathing barrier to handle first. Two, actually: your right lung… and your left lung. And, while “smoking is bad for your lungs” is basically “leaves are green” news, what some might forget is this: just because you’re turning over a new one’a them green leaves (one that’s not made of tobacco… or whatever else you’ve been puffing), doesn’t mean all the ill effects you’ve been causing yourself just disappear, like some freebie karmic reward proffered by the cosmos. Doesn’t work that way. It’s like doing oodles of plastic surgery to your haggard body after spending too many years turning its interior into a narcotic landfill. You’re still gonna look like Mickey Rourke in the end. And, right now, your newly nicotine deprived lungs’re still at Rourke status. But there’s good news, too. Unlike the effects of botched mug chopping jobs, you can totally reverse the effects of effed up breathing organs… with a little effort.

(These badboys are rehabbed and ready for their new job of helping you get your sexy back.)

But that effort, according to my boyfriend (and ex-smoker) is totally worth it:

“I quit smoking in 2013… so it’s been two years and four months. It took several months to recover after I quit,” he says, adding that, “Sometimes it still feel like my lungs have been scrubbed with a wire brush [after cardio] versus them feeling just fine back when they were clean.” The yes-and he gladly has to offer to that, though, is just how much better activity’s gotten with the respiratory damage control that’s spanned the past couple’ve years: “After I quit smoking, my cardio got better I found it easier to do certain things – like martial arts and hiking became easier.”

And it does get easier.

According to LiveStrong, the key’s just to go slow and steady with it:

Before you begin exercising, go for a physical exam. Once your doctor gives you the green light to start, do so slowly. Regular, moderate-intensity exercise should be your starting point, not occasional vigorous-intensity exercises. For instance, walk for 10 to 20 minutes three to four days a week. As your fitness improves, increase the duration and intensity of your exercise sessions on a weekly basis. With regular exercise, you’ll feel better and reduce your risk of a relapse.

That said (for those’a you still sipping smoke through your blowholes), you don’t have to wait to workout.

You can start before you quit.

(Taking that a bit literally, are we?)

In fact, it may aid the stopping process along:

You don’t have to wait until you’ve puffed that last cigarette to start exercising. In fact, you shouldn’t. Exercise might have a protective effect and reduce some of the damage caused by smoking. Also, exercise can be an invaluable part of your plan to quit smoking. It helps you to relax, which can curb cravings. It can also distract you from those cravings when they arise. However, if you do wait to quit, you’ll notice fast improvements in your fitness levels after just a few days of exercise.

So, if you’re either cold turkey off the cancer sticks or just contemplating it, then maybe also contemplate doing the following. 1.) Visit my addiction site for tips. 2.) Visit your physician for more professional health tips. 3.) Design a decent cardio routine as a sub for your old ways. 4.) Come back here, leave me a comment compliment about what an award worthy writer I am, and tell us about how much better it is to have an active life…. sans the toxic fog filling up the breathing balloons that live under your ribs.

Best of luck on your newly fumeless fitness quests, my friends!