Im trying to quit smoking...PLEASE HELP!!? -
I have been smoking for about 3 years now, and I finally decided to quit! a couple days ago, I went to the gym and ran for about 10 minutes. My lungs are in so much pain. If I took a deep breath, i would start coughing. Is it a good idea if I kept running or do I need to wait until the pain goes away and then start running again? If you were me, what would you do?
i smoked for 11 years. i quit last year. i was successful. i researched and found that it would take me at least a year to clear my lungs of build-up but would never heal completely. i think it should take you six months but you will heal completely. quit now!
as for running, i was an infantryman in the army in my smoking years. running was my weak point. i did make the top time standards but it was torture to maintain 6 minute/mile pace for 2 miles. i felt like dying each time.
i mentioned this because 5 milers were no picnic, but way easier, because of the pace. i would rather run 10 miles at a 9 minute/mile pace than run 2 miles at a 6 minute/mile pace.
it may be your pace that hurts you. slow down. i also researched that running for more than an hour is not healthy for you. it is best to cap your running for an hour max or less. a good distance for an hour is 7 miles.
it may be your diaphragm that hurts. it may be that the muscles that control your breathing are fatigued from breathing too hard. try to control your breath by taking shallow, slow breaths. try to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. get a rhythm going. once you-re starting to tire, keep your mouth open and breathe through it.
and yes, you should run while quitting smoking. it will help you heal. just research running. you will get used to it.
i-m 9 years older now, but smoke free. i test myself on running and lately ran 3 miles in under 17 minutes, and ironically, wasnt in pain. it was the cigarettes that held me back.
i would quit smoking, research running, implement what i learn, and never look back if i were you. best of luck.
good luck.
p.s. go to a doctor an see if he/she ok-s running.
I had this problem a long time ago. What you should do is to quit smoking, as you probably have asthma, which was my case. But whether you do or don-t have asthma, you should quit smoking anyway, and if you do have asthma; well, lets just say you-ll be in a heap of trouble if you continue smoking. It costs a lot to be diagnosed with asthma in the US, and I had to diagnose myself, as the doctors wanted tests after tests (money). In my case, I simply told a doctor I had asthma and he agreed and gave me medication. To self-test yourself for asthma, I would suggest you drink 1-oz of vodka (nothing else will do) when you are having pain or shortness of breath, and if you feel almost immediate and significant relief, you have asthma.
Ok alchohol is not good for this kind of thing its totally to the bad side
and no its not a good idea for them to keep running, and im sure i don-t need to explain why. you don-t have to run or get out of breath you just have to develop the habit of exercise. so you can start walking, or slow jogging or half and half until you are better in a few days or weeks. it won-t take long but use the pain as your barrier, you shouldn-t feel pain at all in the lungs and if you do its too hard. you might only handle 5 mins walking but thats okay. hit the weights while your waiting for your body to recover from years of smoking and do some big stretching routines. its won-t take long