Women's Fitness

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KIT YOU’LL NEED:

• Resistan ce band •Kettlebell • Barbell

S

moking might hold

you back frombeing

your fittest but if you

canpush through that wall

that smoking puts up when

it comes to your workou ts

there’s goodnews: it could

help you kick the habit

onceand for all.

If you’ re a smoker who

reaches for a cigarette

whenever you’ re stressedor

anxious or your relapse

always comes when times

get tough ne w researchfrom

the Universityof Texas at

Austin might interest you.

Researchers have found that

working out can increaseyour

success of giving up smoking

by double thanks to its

positive effects on anxiety

and depression. The study

took place on individuals who

were made to exercise three

times a week and individuals

who took part in wellness

sessions instead. Not only

did the exercise group have

double the success rate

(26 per cent compared with

12 per cent in the control

group) but the lo ng-term

effects were impressive

too: 23 per cent from the

exercise group have

remained smoke-free

compared with 10 per cent

from the control group.

While any ex ercise is of

course encouraged it was

the tougher stuff that worked

in the study. The sessions

were on ly 25 minutes lo ng

• good news for those
  strapped for time – but
  required intense workouts
  during which the participants
  achieved a77-88 per cent
  maximum heart rate. If you
  struggle with fitness due to
  smoking this might seem
  tough but it’ll be worth it.
  Try this workout three
  times a week maintainin g
  a relatively fast pace
  throughout and little rest to
  keep the heart rate high.

EXERCISE

If you want to quit smoking scientists

have uncovered a new reason why

working out could be your best bet

quitter!

September2016 |womensfitness.co.uk 47