WASHINGTON - Want to quit smoking? Hit the gym.

A study released on Tuesday by the American College of Chest Physicians found smokers who combine exercise with nicotine gum or transdermal patches are more likely to quit than those who rely on nicotine replacement therapy alone.

Sixty-eight patients at two Austrian hospitals were randomly assigned either a treatment program that included exercise or one that only used nicotine replacement therapy.

After three months, 80 percent of those who exercised had quit smoking, while 52 percent of those in the group that did not exercise had quit.

And those who exercised were more likely to reduce their cigarette smoking if they did not quit, the study found. They also scored better on several tests measuring respiratory health.

The study was conducted at Otto Wagner Hospital and Lainz Hospital in Austria.