If you determined that you are ready to get going, set a couple of realistic goals for yourself. The important thing is that you don’t rush in too quickly and set yourself up for failure. Staying off cigarettes is a tough thing to do, and for starters, we want you to use physical activity to help you accomplish this goal.

Look at your time study. For some of those moments of inactivity, try to fill in ways to be more active. For example, if you find yourself sitting at your desk during the day, make a point of getting up once in a while and taking a walk across the office. If you find yourself sitting in front of the TV, try to get up during each commercial break and walk around the house. Or you can try some of the quick activities if you feel that you can do more.

Moderate-Intensity Activities

Regular, vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day can positively affect your health, especially your weight. Our research has shown, however, that doing moderate-intensity physical activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes and totaling at least 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week or more can help with weight management and physical fitness.

If you don’t have a 30-minute block of time to be physically active, you can enjoy some of the same benefits by breaking up your physical activity and doing some at different times during the day. If you are struggling to find the time, try fitting in three or four 10 or 15 minute brisk walks throughout the day.

People who smoke now have to stand outside to get their fix. In addition, many states have instituted high taxes on cigarettes in an attempt to discourage smoking, thereby increasing the cost of that nicotine. For example, a pack a day in many states costs roughly $2,500 per year, more than enough for a health club membership and maybe even a personal trainer or a great vacation.

The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control: 2003 is a great resource for finding out about the tobacco control laws in your state. It can be accessed via the American Lung Associations website at www.lungusa.org under “tobacco control.” The site also provides information about new research on state tobacco laws, which has shown that high taxes and bans have indeed been effective in getting people to quit smoking.

Despite the fact that fewer people are smoking, the cost to society is still very high. Smoking costs the nation over $150 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity from missing days at work. Personally, it could cost you your life, which is why you should quit today.

The good news: there are ways to quit smoking and stay smoke-free. Making healthy food choices and incorporating physical activity in your daily routines are central themes with us because they can help you avoid gaining weight or minimize the amount of weight you gain. They are also a vital part of developing a healthy lifestyle.

Physical activity and healthy eating go hand in hand and are well-known ways to prevent cancer and coronary heart disease, the primary causes of death in the United States. Physical activity and healthy eating reinforce each other, and can also reinforce your decision to quit smoking. Within a year of quitting you will reduce your chances of getting heart disease by as much as half. But the way in which you quit, by using physical activity arid healthy eating to help you in the process, also significantly lowers health risks, including heart disease.

We understand that quitting is a difficult process and that it takes time. If you aren’t quite ready, we will help you get there and we hope you are proud of yourself. This is a huge step forward in the likelihood that you will one day be an ex-smoker.