How can ex-smoker imrpove stamina?

Carlos's picture
Posted May 1st, 2007 by Carlos
in

Hello All,

I am an ex smoker who quit about 6 months ago.  I have seen an incredible improvement in my overall health.  However, I am still unable to exercise for any stretch of time without running out of breath.  Does anyone know how I can imrpove my stamina and lung capacity so I can exercise longer without running out of breath?

Thanks for your help.

Carlos

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karpoor's picture
On May 6th, 2007 karpoor said:

Carlos

Am glad you have taken this step... smart choice to get back to a routine early..

stick to your routine (swim/run) whatever distance/time you can do, without too much focus to speed.

It took me 5-6 months of sticking to a routine to get from being able to barely run 1 km, to run 5-8 km (~3-5 miles) each time.

But that could also depend on the duration/intensity/crap smoked.

Carlos, probably not a formula to success, but you have done the most difficult part, the rest is reletively easy. i wish you the best.

-d

Carlos's picture
On May 7th, 2007 Carlos said:

Karpoor,

Thanks for your advice.  it is encouraging to hear another ex-smoker is now able to run 5 miles!!!! That would be a thrilling achievement for me..

Carlos

HealthWarrior's picture
On May 11th, 2007 HealthWarrior said:

Carlos,

You need to improve your cardio-respiratory fitness level.  In order to achieve what you want, both your cardiovascular system and your repiratory system need to improve so they can get more oxygen to your body.  The respiratory system needs to better flow air in and out of you lungs while your heart and circulatory system need to better absorb the oxygen and transport it into your muscles.

The way to improve your cardio-respiratory fitness level is through aerobic activites.  Aerobic activities are rythmic, continuous acticities such as running, swiming, biking, etc.  These work by stressing your cardio-respiratory system and therefore improving their function.  In order to see results, you must do the following. 

  • Perform these for at least 30-60 minutes each time
  • Perform aerobic activities at least 3 times a week, the more the better
  • Maintain a heart rate of 65%-85% of your maximum heart rate

You can calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.  So a 20 year old will have a maximum heart rate of 200 (beats per minute).  However, this is just a rough estimate and people will have varying MHR.  At first it may not be possible to even do the 65% without running out of breath, if that is the case, start lower and increase as necessary.

I did a lot of weight training after I quit smoking.  It was great for many reasons but it did not really improve my cardio-respiratory fitness.  However, I started seeing improvements after adding tennis and martial arts to my weekly exercises.  I had been smoking for a very long time and it took many years before my fitness level was restored to a decent level.

As Karpoor said, you have already accomplish the major challenge.  There is only fun and achievement from here on.