Give smoking the boot with a healthy walk

10 March 2008

No Smoking Day - 12 March 2008

An energising walk can help with nicotine cravings – that’s the message from the Ramblers’ Association (RA), as National No Smoking day approaches on March 12th.

Regular walking helps the heart and circulatory system, lowers blood pressure, reduces anxiety/stress and helps deal with nicotine cravings as going for a walk will take your mind off smoking, and take you away from your normal habits and routines.

As well as helping you give smoking the boot, studies show that gentle exercise such as walking can help you prevent weight gain – the traditional downside of giving up smoking. Walking is also one of the best ways to keep fit, as it’s great all-round exercise, easy to fit into your everyday life and perfect for beginners.

A brisk one-mile walk in 20 minutes burns around 100 calories - as much as swimming for 10 minutes, playing football for 12 minutes or doing aerobics for 16 minutes. Walking regularly for just 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can help protect you from heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, depression, the most common type of diabetes and colon cancer. Walking is also excellent at combating stress as exercise releases ‘feel good’ endorphins that give you a healthy natural high – yet another reason to stop smoking and start walking. Finally, if you’re walking in the countryside, one of the best feelings is inhaling all that fresh country air rather than stale cigarette smoke – your lungs will certainly thank you for it!

Des de Moor, Senior Promoting Walking Officer at the Ramblers’ Association, said: “If you’re serious about trying to quit smoking, going for a walk can distract you from those nicotine cravings and help give you a ‘natural high’. Taking up walking on a regular basis is a good way to help you focus on your goal of giving up and you’ll reap enormous health benefits as well.”

The RA has a 12-week walking plan which is perfect for beginners and an ideal way to kick-start a new exercise regime to go alongside your new healthy lifestyle. This can be downloaded FREE at www.getwalking.org.uk.