This simple activity helps stop the urge to smoke (and it only lasts 10 minutes)

At the start of the year, have you made the good resolution to quit smoking? This goal often proves very complicated, especially for those faced with a significant tobacco dependence. However, a study by scientists at the University of Innsbruck suggests that incorporating a certain habit into your daily life could help you better manage your withdrawal. Discover this activity and the promising results of the study.

A 10-minute walk reduces the urge to smoke

According to the National Cancer Institute, seventeen studies already highlight the benefits of indoor sport in reducing the compulsive need for tobacco. A new study by researchers at the University of Innsbruck aims to compare the effects of indoor and outdoor physical activities on an individual’s addiction to cigarettes. “This is the first study to include outdoor activities“, says Stefanie Schöttl, doctoral student at the Department of Sports Science at the University of Innsbruck.

To carry it out, the researchers looked at 16 smokers, who had not smoked all night. Each of them performed three different activities in random order: a ten-minute brisk walk outside, the same activity on a treadmill indoors, and the third activity consisted of sitting for ten minutes.

The researchers asked each of the participants about their cravings and mood at different times during the experiment: before, during and after each activity performed.

The results ? The ten-minute exercise sessions, both in the fresh air and indoors, reduced participants’ compulsive urge to smoke while increasing their overall well-being. However, no change was observed after the participants sat for ten minutes.

Outdoor physical activity delays the next cigarette

Twenty minutes after the end of the interventions, no difference was measurable between the two physical activities. However, after thirty minutes, the participants who had walked outside showed a slightly lower desire to smoke than those who had walked indoors.

Furthermore, the researchers also noted that when participants walked outside, they took their next cigarette later than when they did so indoors. The average time until the next cigarette was 26 minutes during outdoor activity, compared to 17 minutes during indoor session.

Promising results, which require some additional research

Although these results are promising, they need further research before being generalized. To do this, researchers could notably modify the duration or intensity of walking sessions.

The scientists still add that “walking ten minutes daily in the open air is an easy habit to adopt“. They recommend that addictologists and tobacco specialists integrate this activity into smoking cessation programs in order to help their patients reduce their compulsive urges to smoke.

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