In the Forum - Smoking and Exercise
Tuesday July 25, 2006
One forum member asks the question: "What I need is some real data or personal experences about smoking while exercising. I already know smoking is bad, and leads to health problems. I'm not really looking for responses telling me something I already know. On that note this is what I dont know.....If you smoke 2 - 5 cigarettes a day, ""as I do" can you expect to gain lung capasity if you run a mile every day?"
The short answer to that question, of course, is yes. In fact, our Quit Smoking Guide describes what happens to your body after you quit and says that your lung function will improve after just 2 weeks off cigarettes. Still, if you smoke and exercise, you may not even be aware of how much more your body could be doing until you quit.
What do you think? If you used to be a smoker, what changes did you experience in your workouts when you quit? Come join the discussion and tell us what you think.
Comments
I have run 4 Marathons since 2003. Of the 4, the first marathon in South Bend, IN I had my fastest time and I qualified to run Boston. Here’s the kick, I smoked about a pack a day of ultra lights at the time. I ran a 3:09:03. Now when I quit, I found my ability to run farther faster improved. I could run the same speed as before with less effort. After a few months the old “top speed” seemed almost too slow. The slower times following South Bend were due to issues not related to smoking, mainly shin splints.
So in short it is clear to me that I was able to improve my performance after I quit smoking without any other dramatic changes. It turned out to be very enlightening.
Be careful not to mistake the fact that you seem to work at your workouts just as intensely for lack of improvement. We have a tendency to perform at the same level even if the result is improved. We get used to our “perceived exertion” and can take it as stagnant effort.
IMHO, increased lung capacity increases your capacity to absorb the smoke and the harmful chemicals associated with it. I started exercising about 2 months back, with about 2 sessions of 15 minute walks at about 4 miles per hour. I have been a smoker (between 4-7 cigarettes/day) for over 5 years (probably close to 6 years). I felt a severe burning in my lungs – not sure if its the increased lung capacity after such a long time without exercise, but that prompted me to quit smoking. I did not smoke since then. I’ve been exercising since then and have started weights along with cardio a month back. With 4-7 cigarettes a day, maybe I’m not too addicted, but initially I used to think about the next day’s cardio and the lung-burn and that kept me away from the cravings. Now I don’t have cravings at all. I do go out with friends to give them company (I know passive smoking is dangerous too), but I do that just to get out of the work place – but I never smoked since I started exercise.
Smokers can be great athletes. I’d actually consider it less of a factor than diet and rest. There’s nothing stopping you from being a world champion in an sport, or a smoker, but you suffer long term and always limit gains. Still, the stress relief, diet reduction, chemical endorphin stimulation might be of use, short term.
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I’m a pack a day smoker and I do an hour of intense cardio per day, I’m 26. I, like you, hate the “smoking is bad for you” response – we know it’s bad for crying out loud, leave the smoking issue and answer my question, right? Anyways, I just started exercising about 6 weeks ago and YES cardio of any kind increases your lung capacity even if you smoke. I’m sorry but all of the people telling you to not exercise if you smoke is ridiculous. A “fit” smoker is better off health wise than a fat, lazy smoker. I’m in better shape than many of my non-smoking counterparts – not in better health necissarily but better shape.
I’ll bet it’s the chemicals added to cigarettes by big tobacco that does the most damage to endurance.
You could try chemical and additive free tobacco at customblends.com – making your own is incredibly easy and fast now.
I’m 35 years old and started smoking about 4 years ago. I also started working out a lot at coincidently the same time that I started smoking.
I am more fit than my friends who do not smoke and who not exercise. I hiked the Grand Canyon in one day, and it was a piece of cake. My friends who don’t smoke, they struggled with the hike and I ended helping them to carry some of their stuff back up out of the canyon.
I routinely see a doctor for a health reason not related to smoking and every time they take my blood pressure (like 4 or 5 times a year), my blood pressure is just fine. When I had some blood work done recently, my blood work came back just fine as well with no abnormalities at all.
I smoke about a pack a day and then on the weekends, I don’t smoke on Saturday and Sunday…
I’m in the best shape of my life and have not “suffered” any decrease in performance or health due to smoking…
I also take handful of vitamins a day, including joint supplements, calcium, ect ect ect…
Sure its better to not suck down on smoke and pull it into your lungs, but everyone is getting crazy with the anti-smoking laws, and commercials on TV which are flat out HYPED up and even lies.
There is nothing wrong with smoking in moderation so long as you take care of your health. Over eating and people who are over weight are more of a “danger” to themselves than people who smoke and take care of their health.
Look at all the people who suffer heart attacks every year, come down with diabeties(spell?), get high blood pressure, have strokes, ect ect, all because they are over weight.
Again, there is nothing wrong with smoking in moderation so long as you take care of your health.
I quit smoking and saw some huge gains in times on my 5k. Also if you want to smoke and work out go for it! Its better then nothing right- But dont kid yourself into thinking you can be just as good as a non smoking you. Still you could be better then a non smoking someone else.
I dont know about the lungs but nicotine prevents as much OXygen getting to your muscles- Even 2 a day is all that takes.
But still if you can smoke and work out and dont care about the cancer risks…or dont worry about them yet, then go for it. I would, but my lungs and attitude towards working out changes when I smoke for some reason.
Good Luck.
I am a 38 year old woman who started smoking at 13. Currently I smoke 2 packs a day of Newport 100’s. I am a little overweight. I have a very stressful job and smoking like I do takes the edge off the day. I walk every other day, about a half mile. I see my doctor 2 times a year, and have a chest xray every 2 years. I have tried to quit 3 time, but each time I gained weight. I have tried patches, they don’t work on someone as addicted as I am. Right now I have no intention of quitting. I smoked the same amount through 2 pregnancies and have to beautiful normal children.
I am 26 years old and workout 4-6 hrs per week doing intense dance, cardio, pilates, and yoga. I have been smoking for 10 years and smoke 1/2 a pack a day. It is nasty and is bad for you but please do not say you should not smoke and exercise. It is better than sitting on my butt and eating McD’s quarter pounders. There needs to be more campaining on eating habits than smoking habits. I wished people would stop making us smokers look like losers because we aren’t. Stop making us “hide” when we smoke in public. Anyway, I smoke and do extreme exercise routines and I am fine. I can not stand to be around a fat smelly person who’s B.O. bothers me! Ban that!
These are the facts: Given two people who excersize equally, one being a smoker and one a non-smoker, the non-smoker will have more stamina and endurance. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be fit while being a smoker. The tradition of telling people who want to start a workout regimen that they must also quit smoking is silly and counter-productive. Going from a low-activity lifestyle to a regular workout regimen is a very difficult life change, and so is quitting smoking. Put them both together and it’ll seem like an insurmountable challenge that will cause most people to lose hope and give up. The fact is that if you smoke you can still excersize, lose weight, gain muscle, and make yourself look and feel better. Somewhere down the line you may want to consider quitting smoking too, because the fact is it will be better for you and let you reach new peaks of performance. But one step at a time. There’s nothing wrong with making one improvement in your life and then making another when you feel ready. Making the decision to get in shape is an excellent choice, and smokers shouldn’t let all the literature out there telling them that they need to quit smoking simultaneously discourage them from taking that positive step.
I am 33 and have been a smoker (pack a day) for over 14 years. I do lots of sport (soccer, bycicle, step, fitboxing) all these years recently averaging 14 hours/week. Recently doing my annual check up the doctor suggested after checking my respiratory function “Your lungs a clean. You probably don’t smoke?” Many of people who are around me are nonsmokers and most doing no sport. Most are younger in age. Many are envious to my physical condition.
If one can’t beat a bad habit there is still a possibility to beat one’s lazyness and go excersise. “It is better to smoke and to do sport then not smoke and not to do sport”.:) Of course, it is better to not smoke as well, but given these three possibilities… Besides for me one of the reasons to increase the excersise to that crazy level was “Because I smoke- I have to do more sport!”
i have been smoking since i was 11!!!!years old ,i am 41 now. so no mater how many ppl say smoking doesnt make a diff…. i tell yo thats BS.
i quit cold tourkey after i tried zyban, patches, gum and even chantix…i didnt woke up one morning and said this is it. i planned it in every detail and i have been smokefree since last year. and i did NOT gained alot of weight. thats also a myth… if anyone would like to get some info and a friend to help email me
dougssweety2001@yahoo.com
I have been smoking since about 16 and now i’m 36 and am on at least twenty cigs pers day (up to 40 per day on weekends).
I recently started regular exercising with the hope of eventually quitting cigs. I always used to believe I cant exercise if I am a smoker. So I threw that idea, bought a bicycle and do some strenous work at least 4 times a week. I also do some weight training for my upper body.
My concern is this: Is combining smoke and exercise dangerous to the lungs? Maybe the new expansion of the lungs pushes the tar and chemicals deeper?
Either way, after excersize the last thing i want is a cig and i go without one for hours.
It’s apparently your heart that it’s not good for if you smoke and exercise. The smoking alone strains your heart. Combining that with intense exercise causes extra straing on the heart alongside the smoking. Does this make sense? Is there a medical professional that can clear this up?