Exercise is to the body what order is to the mind. Nothing can drive away the urge to smoke more quickly or more efficiently than exercise. Even a 15 minute workout can be tranquilizing and has the affect of casting a warm and happy glow througout our bodies. Cigarettes can hardly compare because the satisfaction of nicotine is momentary and unfulfilling in as little as 10 or 15 minutes. Simply put, no activity in the world is as capable as exercise for putting the body and mind at peace and for keeping them in harmony with the rhythm of nature.

The great news is that more and more smokers who have left cigarettes behind are beginning to understand that the benefits of exercise go far beyond the physical. They are finding that even a short round of exercises that increases the heart rate and produces a little prespiration on the brow outstrips the relaxing qualities of nicotine both in intensity and duration. In fact for many, a solid workout of only 30 minutes a day is actually enough to completely keep the urge to smoke at bay. We're going to be looking at 5 simple exercises primarily geared to getting your heart pumping with new vigor, and while these exercises are more than adequate for keeping you in shape, their purpose is not to build up your body muscle so much as they are designed to promote deep, healthy breathing; to make you agile again and to promote solid sleep that results in your waking rested, relaxed and proud of your new, clean, healthy, happy body!

One precaution is this: you want to guard against heavy or excessively long workouts just after you've quit smoking. During the first few months after quitting, your body can still be undergoing an enormous transformation in which metabolism and "set point" are changing.

No phase of exercising is more important than the initial warm-up.A "cold" body is much more easily strained, or damaged. Moreover, warm-ups can actually make the difference in whether you enjoy your workout or struggle through it.You are cautioned to read through each of the following exercises completely before performing them. If there is anything you don't understand about an exercise instruction, clear this up before performing the exercise. You may wish to contact us with any questions at Info@TheSmokeStop.com

EXERCISE 1---Stretching

All exercises should begin with simple stretching…of the variety you do every single day when you first wake, or while at your desk with arms outstretched over your head.Begin by placing both arms up in the air. Alternately clench and open your fists. Spread your feet a comfortable distance apart and with yourarms still in the air, gently twist to your left, then back to your right. Gradually add combinations of bending over slightly then backwards. To this, add leaning over to your left then back to the right. Continue doing this for at least 5 minutes.

In the last minute, add pivoting motions of the entire torso in a circular pattern, maintaining a comfortable distance between your feet. Do not exaggerate this opening stretching exercise. Instead, ENJOY it, the same as you would a lazy weekend morning when you first awake and stretch in bed before getting up. During the entire stretching period you will want to inhale and exhale in a deep, slow, controlled manner.

EXERCISE 2----Deep Knee Bends

This is a personal favorite for me because it's the natural finish to stretching.Place a sturdy (preferably wooden) chair in the center of the room. Approach the chair from its backside and firmly grasp the top of the backrest with both hands. Spread your feet a comfortable distance. Rock the chair both forward and backward, then side to side to check for stability before beginning. The go into a slow, controlled, partial squat. You do not want to squat entirely at first. As you rise again, concentrate on keeping your back nice and straight. As you are squatting, inhale deeply and slowly, and as you are rising, exhale - also slowly. Vary your breathing by inhaling while rising and exhaling while squatting.Gradually, increase the extent of the squat, eventually squatting the maximum distance you are able without compromising your ability to rise again.

Always remember not to panic in any exercise situation. If you find yourself unable to rise out of a squatting position, release your grip on the back of the chair, one hand at a time, and simply go into a sitting position on the floor. From this position you will be able to stand more easily. I also encourage you never to allow your embarrassment - such as not being able to rise immediately - to govern the speed with which you try to return to your feet.Here is a simple but sure way to rise to your feet from the floor:

• From a sitting position, lie on your back;
  
• Roll over onto your stomach;
  
• Slowly assume a position on "all fours" (hands and knees);
  
• Using the seat of the chair as a stabilizer, slowly rise to the standing position.
  

Treat your body with the patience and consideration it requires and deserves! Do not try to make up years of inattention to you body in one or two workouts. The longer you've smoked, generally speaking, the longer it is likely going to take you to get back into shape.

The more repetitions you do of opening stretches and deep-knee bends, the better. At first, 25 deep-knee bends, five at a time, are adequate. Eventually you might strive to do as many as 100 of these daily, 25 at a time.

EXERCISE 3---Floor Exercises

By now you should be adequately stretched and relaxed to beef up your workout.From an outstretched position on your back, lift your knees so that both feet are now on the floor, then slowly drag your feet toward your buttocks, drawing them as close to the buttocks as possible. Once again, use caution in this procedure. Do not force yourself into any uncomfortable position and avoid straining yourself.

Reverse the procedure, slowly sliding your feet away from you until your legs are once again flat on the floor. Continue repetitions of this exercise drawing your feet a little closer to your buttocks each time you perform a repetition. As with all exercises, breathe slowly and deeply and vary your breathing pattern. For instance, during the first 5 repetitions of this exercise, inhale as you are raising your knees and drawing your feet toward your buttocks and exhale while returning them to the outstretched position. Then reverse this breathing pattern.Repeat this exercise leaving one leg outstretched on the floor and drawing up only foot toward the buttocks. Alternate this variation by drawing up first one foot, then the other, then both.

Still another variation on this exercise is to add arm movements. Do this by placing your arms in an outstretched position at a perpendicular to your body. With the weight of both arms comfortably on the floor, slowly drag them first above your head then reverse this movement, moving them through 180-degrees until they touch the sides of your body. Do a number of repetitions of this, alternating the position of your legs, in which first one knee is raised, then the other, then both. You may wish to consider moving both your legs and arms at the same time, but do this very slowly so as to avoid any possible stress or strain.

Always remember that nothing is worth the consequences of straining yourself. You may increase the pace of this and all exercises as you become more agile and get into shape, but don't forget that speed is not the ultimate nor the most important goal of exercising!

Still on your back and with your arms outstreched from your body at a perpendicular, cross your right leg over your left as though you were going to switch to a resting position on your left side, but do this while keeping your back flat on the floor. DO NOT OVEREXERT YOURSELF.

Then continue with this action to the opposite (right) side, also while keeping your back flat on the floor. As you are rolling first onto your left side and then onto your right, concentrate on establishing deep, controlled breathing. Your outstretched arms can provide great stability and control during this exercise. Use them to your advantage to help "push" you from one side position to the other and to minimize the chances of straining yourself.Finally, you will want to do some scissors exercises from your primary position on your back. These consist of spreading open your legs and then closing them again, mimicking this same action with your arms (sort of like "swimming strokes" on your back). Do a number of repetitions of this exercise, breathing deeply and slowly and maintaining a consistent breathing pattern.

EXERCISE 4---Walking

You may buy all the exercise equipment you want and spend countless hours doing repetitions of endless exercises at your favorite gym, but for my money, none of these touches a good brisk walk!You are strongly encouraged to warm up to walking by completing Exercises 1, 2 and 3, above. The purpose of this is to avoid any possible stress or strain by adequately warming up your muscles and making them receptive to your continued workout.There is a beauty to walking that no other exercise can match. It provides far more than just exercise. It positively makes thinking clearer and simpler, it facilitates movement in almost all the muscle groups at the same time, it challenges controlled breathing and brings you into a contact with nature that is wholly missing in our day-to-day, lightening-fast pace of living.

When you walk, swing your arms. Extend them in different directions from your body. If you feel encouraged to add a short jog to the middle of your walk, do so, but go easy, especially at first, and do no do this with the idea of testing yourself or "looking good" in the eyes of others. Forget how you look! Exercise for the good it does your body - not for how good you think others may think you look while you're doing it. "Posing" while exercising is an excellent way to compromise your body and to stress or strain yourself in the process.

Be always in absolute control of your body at whatever the speed is you have chosen to workout!How great a distance you walk is up to you. Most research indicates that a mile walk as a minimum. That's about 16 city blocks.I also encourage you to have about 3 or 4 different walking routes and to vary these with frequency. Keeping your walk "interesting" can play an important role in sticking with it!

EXERCISE 5---Unwind!

Unwinding at the end of an exercise period is just as important as warming up. When you get back from your walk, don't let this automatically end your workout.You will want to unwind and "shake it off" first, as the saying goes. There is no better way to do this than through a light stretch-out. Repeat Exercise 1 in whole or in part, until your breathing has returned to normal (usually 5 to 8 minutes).

Cap your workout with great, long shower, drink at least one glass of water, and if hunger sets in, try some really different energy drink, such as by blending a mango, a banana and a few slices of cantaloupe (add 5-6 pieces of ice and a cup of water). This drink is chock full of vitamins and minerals and is delicious to boot!