Not ready to quit smoking? Try these lifestyle changes instead

Many people want to quit smoking but aren’t sure if they can completely commit to a plan yet. If you’re not ready to give up tobacco, there are other lifestyle changes you can make now to improve your health, like exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet.

These habits can improve your overall health and help to slow or prevent the weight gain often associated with giving up cigarettes. They may make it easier to quit smoking, as well. Here’s how to get started.

Many people who smoke gain weight at a slower rate than non-smokers. That’s partly because cigarettes tend to reduce appetite. Nicotine also speeds up resting metabolism, allowing you to burn calories at a quicker rate. 

When you quit smoking, metabolism decreases, meaning you may not burn calories as quickly. It’s also common for people to substitute foods high in fat and sugar for the rewarding effects of cigarettes. Together, this can lead to weight gain.

It’s critical to remember, however: Not everyone puts on extra pounds when they stop smoking, and if you have a plan to address your eating habits beforehand, you can help to manage your weight. Kicking tobacco is one of the best things you can do for your health.

Eating a healthy diet before you quit smoking may help mitigate changes in metabolism and appetite when you do kick tobacco. It can also establish behaviors to help manage cravings. A healthy diet includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins such as chicken and fish, and healthy fats. It limits red and processed meats, processed foods, and added salt, sugars, saturated fats. Here are some tips to try.

Eat more veggies. Consume a wide variety of vegetables—dark green, red, and orange, legumes (beans and peas), and starchy. Try to increase the vegetable content of dishes while decreasing the amounts of meat or refined grains. Add a meatless Monday to your meal plan or put more leafy greens into a breakfast smoothie.

Eat more fruits—especially whole fruits. It can be tempting to replace a cigarette craving with dessert, but berries, melons, or an apple can be just as sweet. Add fruit to yogurt at breakfast, salads at lunch, and at the end of a healthy dinner.

Reduce caffeine and alcohol. Since these can influence your perceived taste of cigarettes and cause you to crave tobacco, try to cut back on both.

Drink more water. It keeps you hydrated, supports digestion, helps deliver nutrients throughout your body, and so much more. Plus, sipping water keeps your hands and mouth busy, keeping you from reaching for a cigarette.

Prepare foods ahead of time. When you’re ready to kick smoking, having healthy meals and snacks on-hand can help prevent you from choosing fatty, sugary foods—especially when a craving comes on. Adopting this habit in advance means it will be automatic on your quit day.

In addition to eating a healthy diet, exercising can help you stop smoking. It can ease appetite, help prevent weight gain, increase energy, and improve your overall health. Physical activity is also one of the most consistent and reliable ways to reduce tobacco cravings. Here’s how: 

• Exercise eases a depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, tension, restlessness, and concentration difficulties—all symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
• It’s been shown to decrease responses to cigarette cues and increase time between cigarettes. This means you can naturally reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke just by adding exercise into your routine.
• Physically active smokers tend to have lower nicotine dependence and are more likely to attempt a quit, too. They may be less vulnerable to nicotine withdrawal and more motivated to achieve cessation than sedentary smokers.
• Exercise gives you something to do besides smoke, distracting you from cravings.

By increasing your physical activity now, you can boost your chance of success when quitting. Both moderate and vigorous exercise may help reduce symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and dampen cigarette cravings. Just remember to start with small goals and talk to your healthcare provider about your plan.

Here are some examples of activity you can add to your day. Even just 10-minute bursts of exercise can help reduce the urge to smoke.

Yoga. Research shows that yoga can blunt nicotine cravings. If you don’t practice, consider trying a beginner class or download an app.

Aerobic activities. Whether it’s swimming, walking, running, playing a team sport or just trying a new workout video at home, it’s important to do activities you love. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

Everyday activities. Even tasks like gardening or cleaning your house can turn into exercise. Some people make everyday chores more aerobic by lunging while vacuuming or doing jumping jacks in between washing dishes. These activities also have the benefit of keeping you occupied instead of smoking.

Strength training. You don’t have to hit the gym for a long strength session. If you have 10 minutes or less, do body weight exercises like push-ups, core work, squats, or calf raises. These can be done at times when you would normally have a cigarette—when you first wake up, during a work break, talking on the phone, or while TV commercials are on.