Smoking is a bad habit. Can we all agree on that?
Even current smokers acknowledge that smoking shortens your life, elevates your risk of lung cancer, is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, and, as one anonymous preacher once said, "It may not send you to Hell but it'll make you smell like you just got back from there."
In 1604, King James condemned smoking as a "vile habit" so there's nothing really new about people turning up their noses at it. What is new however is that vaping, inhaling tobacco-laced water vapor, can help you quit smoking and keep off the pounds you'd normally gain by quitting smoking.
A Little Here, A Little There
Vaping can help you lose weight? It sure can.
Technology rides to the rescue!
Nicotine suppresses our cravings for food, especially sweets. When you quit, the combination of boredom from not smoking and the sudden surge of cravings can add 10-20 pounds to your love handles. A handful of chips here, a little extra ice cream there, and before you know it your pants are too tight.
Vaping continues to give you nicotine. However, it gives it to you in progressively lower doses so you come down gently instead of crashing. The physical activity of vaping, so similar to actual smoking and the continued presence of nicotine keep you from gaining weight. Technology has found a way to ween you off cigarettes and stay slim at the same time.
Technology and Fitness
While the computer gaming industry tries to lure people with interactive games that get you out of your chair, technology is making huge strides with products that help you stay fit in a multitude of ways. Let's take a look at some of them.
Running To The Music
In boot camp, the Drill Instructors would keep us running on 10K runs by having us sing in cadence. The obscene lyrics we used aren't reproducible here but the tune, singing in time with your fellows, measuring it to the beat of your boots on the dusty ground, helped us complete semi-marathons none of us had ever attempted before.
Listening to music or singing along with it helps you run. It takes your mind off the burn and keeps you going long after you thought you'd have to huff and puff yourself to a stop. Streaming services bring motivating playlists to your smartphone to encourage you. Not a day goes by when you don't see someone jogging along with their phone strapped to their upper arm and earbuds in their ears.
Virtual Exercise
As mentioned earlier, interactive games such as Wii Fit can help you burn extra calories in your living room. Why go to the gym when you can get a workout at home? Admittedly, it may not burn as many calories as actually lifting weights, but are you trying to become Mister Universe or just stay in shape?
Dancing to the Wii's collection of fitness games can melt the pounds right off you. In the 1960s, Chubby Checker became famous as an overweight rock-n-roll singer, but before long he wasn't chubby anymore. Fans watched in awe as he slimmed down and down and down just from dancing and singing on stage. If he can do it, why not you?
Wearable Health Monitors
Doctors recommend that for best results you should monitor your heart rate and blood pressure while working out. Wearable monitors such as the Fitbit are now making that possible.
Social Media Encouragement
The widespread use of social media provides a platform for posting your workouts and their results for the whole world to see. Watching those "likes" add up as your pounds are subtracted is a motivational factor that can't be overlooked. The more encouragement you get, the more you want, which makes you work out harder and more often. It becomes a self-reinforcing feedback loop that propels you toward your goal.
MMA
Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, is growing in popularity all the time. It's rugged, no holds barred combat technique that demands an aggressive attitude and a fierce determination to stay in shape.
That, in turn, has fueled a demand for a high-tech punching dummy that can withstand being pounded on for hours at a time, day after day. There is a huge selection of different punching dummies with stands available that can be filled with water or sand to hold them in place. Made of space-age materials, they're durable and easy to clean.
