Im new here, started day 1 of c25k yesterday and I'm just wondering if anyone else on here smokes? I'm trying to quit hence starting c25k for more motivation.
I'm 24, female and not overweight, smoking is the only thing that lets me down and to be honest I felt like dying when I was only about half way through. Nearer to the end I felt quite sick and weak and today my legs well thighs are quite achy.
My chest felt quite tight yesterday which made me think I need to start doing more exercise in order to try and improve my lungs and overall health.
So smokers out there please tell me it gets easier!? Has anyone managed to complete this being a smoker or have you stopped smoking thanks to this?
Samantha
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SamanthaB
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Please stop smoking now, honestly your legs won't ache like they do when you smoke. That's without the breathing problems. There's no way I could've run when I smoked. Your young now and can recover from the damage it is doing to you. Good luck with it, there will be all the support you need from us here. P.s it makes your skin wrinkly when you hit your 40's. Lol x
Have you thought about different ways to stop smoking? Patches, gum or vaping? If you stop now it will really help on your c25k journey. I was a heavy smoker until 5 years ago. I had to stop as I had promised my son. I had tried patches to no avail but vaping is the closest thing to smoking that you will ever find and that enabled me to kick the habit completely. I'm sure smokers have completed c25k but it will be so much easier and so much better for you if you try and stop now. Good luck with your journey
Smoking is a mugs game! Your slowly killing yourself, paying out something like £8 for a pack of 20. OK you have to buy a decent pair of running shoe's, but the benefit's are ten fold! You won't regret it! My wife and I both smoked, stopped it many years ago, recently did c25k, now I can eat well and keep the weight down, move swifter, feel more alert, better mood, mentally sharper doing quizzes & puzzles, and my wife says I look better!
Btw, my dad died from a smoking related disease, and bad lifestyle, he was warned by doctors he would lose his leg if he didn't stop smoking, but hence it was too late for him and he started having strokes which killed him at 68.
But, your young enough to change your ways and improve your health. It'll be hard at first, yes, but you'll reap the benefits of your effort's, any graduate on here will back me on this! Good luck!😊
Hi I went to my doctor and asked for champix it is a tablet that blocks the uptake of nicotine, u still smoke but u get to a point where u feel like u r smoking a ashtray.... U can get it on the nhs as it is a valid med! U may have to do a maintenance pack for a while.... But stick to ur guns and let ur go know how u feel.... I've done this three times... First time I wasn't ready and on the second attempt I stopped and I stopped for three years then this year I started and went to my doc and started a beginner pack and I gave up... Didn't even need to finish the pack.
I'm very happy and u have made a good decision.... U will feel miles better once u have stopped!
I smoked for about 35 years ( gave up 5 years ago). No way could I have even attempted couch to 5k as a smoker. You dont realise how much it takes out of you until you stop smoking
Ditch the fags now. I promise you that you wont regret it. And keep going with this running programme. You will be amazed at how much your breathing will improve once you arent smoking. Good luck
I am going to really put some effort in now, I've tried to stop with patches and a vape pen before but I just loose motivation, doing this running is showing me how unfit I actually am which tbh is great for helping with the motivation to stop. I don't really have anyone around me that helps in this area so I'm really pleased with your responses so far.
I think Champix would be ideal for me, just trying to get a doctors appointment is near impossible unfortunatly however I will give it a try.
I smoked at least 20 a day for 35 years and finally gave up 3 years ago. But one thing guaranteed to STOP me quitting was other folk telling me I 'had' to give up for this reason, that reason blah blah blah. Well-meant 'advice' made me want to immediately light the fattest roll-up ever and blow the smoke right up their nostrils.
SO: don't quit for other people, do it for yourself. Smokers aren't more stupid than other folk, though people often like to make you feel as though you are; you know what it does, how much it costs etc. etc. Plus, people smoke for different reasons. So don't put too much pressure on yourself - fantastic if you do manage to quit, but don't beat yourself up if not. There'll be many more opportunities and 'righter' times. Give the running a go, see how you feel and take it from there.
Never been a smoker but I get this , I have lost a lot of weight over the past few years because something in me decided I wanted to, previously anyone( my dad in particular) , however well intentioned, advising me to lose weight made me feel rubbish and reach for a packet of biscuits! When I decided to cut out sugar I didn't tell many people, as 'helpful' advice was not wanted! But as we all know this forum is great for motivation and the feeling of achievement gives a buzz that can replace a lot of our previous habits! And if it doesn't , we're still fitter so can't lose!
Exactly. And I think once you start something like this you also feel like you want to eat better, drink less, etc., or at least that's how the programme has affected me. I just don't think it's always a good idea to try and do it all at once - running, giving up fags, whatever - because you're setting yourself up with more chances to fail and then feel rubbish.
Another ex-smoker here too . I LOVED smoking , it was my passion , my hobby, the thing I turned to when I was happy, sad, stressed, bored, in fact I managed to get through 25 a day for over 30 years ! Eeek ! I dread to think how much money I spent on them in that time, probably enough to buy myself a small country !
I stopped smoking 4 years ago this September and started this programme 2 years ago. It has been 2 of the best decisions I have ever made
You will find as you progress through the programme that you want to sustain that feeling of " wellness " , probably by eating more healthier and kicking the fags. It is not easy stopping smoking, but oh so so worth it !
You will do it when youre ready . I still love the smell of cigarette smoke though and sometimes find myself taking a huge breath in when someone passes me with a cig . Mind you , that is a vast improvement on wanting to wrestle them to the ground and pinch it off 'em , which is what I felt like doing for ages ha ha
Good Luck ! xxx
Hi Samantha I stopped 4 months ago after smoking for 31yrs and can honestly say it is the best thing I could have done for my health. I have now started C25k but if I had continued there is no way in this world I could do this. You are only 24 so any impact of smoking on your body would heal really quickly but you need to stop now. Good luck
I've never smoked and yes I want you so much to stop. You know what it does to you, you don't need us lot banging on about the dangers. We're probably all addicted to something or other, whether it be food, alcohol, sugar, porn, weed... all the non-smokers think it's easy to just stub your last one out and that's it I urge you to get some extra help trying to give up. The only advice I can give is to keep occupied. Hopefully running can do that - when you feel like a ciggie you could go for a little jog but giving up WILL make your running easier.
Try reading Allen Carr Easyway to stop smoking. It worked for a friend of mine (a triathlete now) and her husband (he had to read it 4 times but it eventually sunk in). They suggested I should try it and it took me two reads then I was free. That was 10 years ago and I have honestly never regretted it for a minute. Go on give it a go.
I used to be you. Then I had a heart attack and a day on a vent was my kick in the ass. I wish I had stopped earlier on my own terms. I now have a nice 18" scar on my chest as a reminder.
Hi - I smoked for probably 35 years and was a 40 a day girl and I loved it....I have been vaping now for about 3 years so not completely clear but not doing the damage that smoking does. I won't tell you to quit as I found I only gave up when I had decided to regardless of what others said to me. I would have thought that smoking whilst learning to run will be more of a challenge because of lung capacity and circulation. When I started with vaping I kept to my early morning coffee & ciggie for about a month (my favourite cigarette of the day) and then eased off that. At my nephews wedding last year after much bubbly I tried a cigarette in a moment of drunken madness and I never thought I'd say this but is tasted vile and I didn't get past too drags thankfully..........Give it a go and see how you do...it's a really hard habit to break so all the luck in😀 the world
I have been reading the Allen Carr book for the last few days now and I honestly believe that by the time I finish it I will stop smoking! It's totally changing the way I am thinking and making quitting seem a lot easier than I suspected. I'm actually looking forward to being a non-smoker. So thank you for the recommendation!
As a little challenge to myself I went the whole day yesterday without a cigarette and then after work I did my second run (I know I'm a few days behind but I'm trying!). It actually felt easier, not easy by all means but definitely easier and today my legs don't hurt half as much as they did after the first run., actually they really don't hurt at all. The conclusion I came to is that from not smoking I have more Oxygen in my blood and therefore the running is not as hard on my body as it was the first time. This is the reason that I think doing both of these things at the same time is going to make it better for me i.e. proving to myself how much damage the smoking is actually doing to me.
One last thing I am doing my running/walking in the fields at my Dads farm, I don't really want to be running on the pavement having people drive past seeing me looking so unfit. However a few people have said that I'm making it harder for myself as the surface is uneven etc. Can anyone confirm this? Is it harder on grass? Shall I perhaps find a quiet street or park or shall I just keep it up and maybe one day be a cross country runner?
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I urge you to get some extra help trying to give up. The only advice I can give is to keep occupied. Hopefully running can do that - when you feel like a ciggie you could go for a little jog but giving up WILL make your running easier.
Does anyone else struggle with motivation?
First week one run! 
Back to my starting weight...
Sorry to blow my own trumpet..........
Graduation run
