Vienna: If quitting smoking is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, you’re in luck, because scientists have discovered a 10-minute method that can reduce cravings and quit smoking. Symptoms may increase.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the US.
According to data released in 2021, 11.5 percent of older adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, but half of those smokers reported trying to quit in the past year. But unfortunately only one in 10 people succeed in this endeavor every year.
A recent study conducted at the University of Innsbruck in Austria found that just 10 minutes of exercise can temporarily reduce cravings and increase withdrawal symptoms in quitters.
“There have been a number of studies that have examined the effects of indoor exercise on short-term smoking cessation,” study lead author Stephanie Schuttel, a doctoral student in the University’s Department of Sports Science, said in a statement. But this is the first study to include outdoor exercise.
In a study published in the journal Psychopharmacology, 16 smokers were asked to spend an entire night without smoking. The next day, participants were asked to do one of three exercises for 10 minutes. The three exercises included brisk walking outdoors, doing the same activity indoors on a treadmill, and sitting down.
According to Professor Martin Cope, all participants in the study were exercised in all cases in no particular order.
These participants were asked about their cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and mood before, during, and after exercise. These people also mentioned the time interval between two cigarettes.
Researchers found that people who did both indoor and outdoor exercise had reduced cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
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