Cigarettes and Cardio?

nickhuffman74

Well I am not trying to be an *kitten* here. All I am saying is that yeah maybe you can run further, faster, blah blah but when your are no longer young and your boy is no longer resilient your body will start to show the effects.

Yeah it is a physical addition but its more of a mental addiction. If you cant go 72 hours without smoking you are weak, Period, Justify it all you want, say whatever you need to so you feel better about yourself. Tell yourself whatever you want to make your weakness a non issue. I am not stronger or mentally tougher than you, I have control over my body and refuse to let a stupid addiction ruin my body.

Read the links I gave you, that eBook will give you a plan to stop smoking. Like I said if you plan for success you will be successful. If you dont plan, you plan to fail.

bleacheblonde

I only smoke about 3 cigarettes per day, and I have been smoking American Spirits for the last couple of months whereas before I was smoking Camel Crush. The Spirits are more expensive but they don't taste as nasty, they burn far longer, and they don't make me cough or get a sore throat. But I am trying to quit because my fiance just quit after about his 5th attempt and this is the longest he's stuck with it, so I don't want to sabotage his efforts. I never noticed it having too much of an effect on my cardio, but I have always kind of sucked at cardio so it's hard to say I know that my fiance noticed a big difference in his running ability when he quit...he said he had more energy and endurance and just felt better. But you can't really quit until you're ready to do so.

Bakerchk

I smoke a pack a day and I do cardio from time to time. However, I'm more interested in building muscle and losing weight, than building up my cardio levels. I do throw in swimming or elliptical in with my weight training and I can feel the affects the cigarettes have. However, I'm not ready to quit. I will eventually because I want a healthy lifestyle and smoking is quite inconvenient for me. You can do it though regardless of what people say...

mynameiscarrie

i smoked for a few years. I quit in May, but started MFP March of 2011 so that's over a year of cardio and smoking. TBH, it really didn't affect me cardio wise. I guess because I ran track in high school then started smoking. Idk. It never had an impact on any of that. One thing I do notice now that I've quit, is that food tastes a little differently--in a good way. And I'm not wasting 15$ a week on cigarettes. But as far as breathing goes, it didn't affect me... yet.

I would recommend quitting. Sometimes I wish I hadn't because I liked it, but long term it's just not worth it. Not trying to preach, just some thoughts from someone who never wanted to quit but did anyways lol

chivalryder

My buddy didn't used to smoke when he was young, and rode his bike a LOT. Recently, he picked up smoking - about a cig a day - and he was absolutely SHOCKED at how much it limits how well you can breathe while working out. This was 1 cig/day. You may not really notice the difference because you've been doing it for so long, you may not realize what it would be like without the cigs at all.

Tospecial

Yes I still smoke, but not like I use too.. I do 2 hrs of cardio a day, I use to smoke 2 packs a day and now down 10 maybe 10 cigarettes a day and thats only if I'm stressing.. To me the more cardio you do and you into it, the less you smoke.

CALABRESE3

"i tried the electronic cigs. could not stand them. ":

You tried the wrong one. There are many different ones and some are quite good.

rextcat

sorrie the title just reminded my of watching my hubbie running on a tread mill with a lit ciggerett in mouth and a water bottle full of whiskey...... ah the good ol days...













oh and i do have pictures of this:bigsmile:

fbmandy55

Yep, and it's hasn't been an issue yet.I plan on quitting when I become pregnant, because that is the kick and reason I will need and I won't have a choice but to do so.

I too and one that needs to be ready. That goes for any kind of addiction. You can't force someone until they know it's time. People nagging you about it is going to just make you resent them.

Come one, us smokers realize the dangers, we've seen the images and that's not what keeps us smoking. IT'S AN ADDICTION! Do you tell a herion user that what they do is dangerous, do you think they don't know?

Constantly reminding smokers what can happen isn't helpful at all. It never ceases to amazing me when a non-smoker tells a smoker of the dangers... Like they didn't already know?

ruststar

When I was in the Army, it was very common to be a smoker and do lots of cardio. Soldiers would frequently smoke before and after doing the 2 mile run for the PT test, and I'll tell you that a smoker was just as likely to pass as a non-smoker.
After smoking a lot for about 10 years, it started to catch up with me. Chronic bronchitis, other respiratory illnesses.
Since I've quite, those conditions are no longer haunting me.

I was this person back in the 90's. I took part in a relay for the Big Sur marathon and smoked up to the minute before I ran my leg of the race.

BUT...I've always wondered what I could have done back then if I didn't smoke. During the peak of my physical potential smoking didn't prevent me from running, but I could have been so much better at it if I didn't smoke. I quit in 1998 - cold turkey, wasn't as hard as I thought - and now that I am back to working on my fitness I often wonder where I would have been if I hadn't smoked through my best years.

Ezwoldo

I gave up about 2 years ago and I in my racing I have noticed that my breathing is much better and also my HR isat a higher rate at max than 2 years ago. I was only ready to quite after I had got to the point where it was just too expensive to smoke.

GiddyupTim

I smoked two packs a day when I started running. I did not quit for many years.
Some others have mentioned that they refrain from smoking for some time before cardio exercise. For me, it eventually got to the point where I did not smoke that day -- from waking up in the morning -- until I did my running.
I think exercise, and wanting to have some wind, actually helped me much when I finally did quit. One reason quitting smoking is difficult is because there is no positive reinforcement when you try to not smoke. You just go from one moment where you deny yourself the pleasure, to the next moment, where the urge is still waiting for you.
But, exercise gives you some positive reinforcement for quitting. Running and exercising becomes much easier.
I play soccer too, now. And, soccer players say: 'You can drink and play soccer: but you cannot smoke and play soccer.' There is some truth to that saying.

redredy9

It makes it easier that no where in Canada is legal to smoke, except in your own home. Unless you have kids, then thats illegal too. Go Canada.

Go Canada indeed! I wish that were the case here in the States! I hate being forced to inhale someone else's toxins especially after I've worked so hard to cut it cigs out of my life.

Id have to disagree. . smoking is a choice and should not have bans on a personal choice. . . its like saying Hey you can do this. . . but not anywhere so i dont know why we make it available to everyone. . . .

Example. . . you can drive a car ( give u a license which is a privaledge, not a right). . but you cant drive a car anywhere. . . makes no sense. . .

Granted im canadian and know this but i live in the states.

Its a personal choice that affects other people. I specifcally said my problem was being forced to breathe other peoples smoke. If someone chooses to smoke thats on them but there is no real way to smoke in the presence of other people and contain ciggarette smoke to just the person making the "personal choice" to smoke even outside. That's my problem.

Smoke in your house (if it doesn't get into your neighbors place or violate the terms of your lease/co-op agreement), smoke in your car, smoke in secluded places where there aren't other people (just don't litter).

I think, most smokers would agree they wouldn't smoke on the street standing next to a pregnant lady. So clearly there is some level of recognition of the fact that there is some potential harm in second hand smoke. The harm of second hand smoke has also been widely proven in research. I just think everyone's lungs should get the same consideration.

PixieGoddess

Any smoker (who is still currently or quitters too). . . do u find it annoying how everyone tells u to stop smoking rather then understand that you will do it when your ready?. . if u push someone to do something (granted it may be beneficial) it just deters them or prolongs them from doing so?. . .

Yes. I started smoking at age 14 but I never smoked much at all: I had a single pack last me a month one time. So I was really annoyed by everyone who said, "Well if you smoke so little, why don't you just quit?" My response: "Because I don't want to." In summer '09, I went for my women's annual exam and FINALLY was told "Oh, you should be fine. Everything else looks healthy." (She's still my lady-doctor to this day.) Coincidentally, I have not had so much as a drag since winter '09, although I have often wanted one, including just yesterday. Honestly, there have been many occasions where the only reason I didn't light up again was because I looked at all the ads - $5 for a pack? How the hell did I do that for so many years??

WendyTerry420

Any smoker (who is still currently or quitters too). . . do u find it annoying how everyone tells u to stop smoking rather then understand that you will do it when your ready?. . if u push someone to do something (granted it may be beneficial) it just deters them or prolongs them from doing so?. . .

Continuing to do something really harmful to yourself to spite me any anyone else who tells you you should quit would be really dumb.

Be honest. People telling you not to smoke does not deter you. Your addiction and reliance on ciggarettes deters you from quitting. You are hooked. Don't try to blame your recluctance to quit on other people who are telling you the medically supported scientifically proven truth.

As someone who smoked for over 14 years of her life - I can say that for me, it was helpful (though sometimes annoying and not always fun) to be reminded of the dangers of smoking and to be confronted with the consequences. Scared straight worked for me! Of course I knew how bad it was for me - but left to my own devices I probably could have lived in denial and continued to smoke for several more years.

People that grew in the 80s or after are pretty immune to those tactics. ("Just Say No" :laugh: ) They don't work. Yes, it's rationalization. I've had enough psychology classes and dealt with addicts to understand it intellectually. But having an intellectual understanding doesn't alter the other aspects. It simply doesn't work that way. I wish it did. :ohwell:

Hellbent_Heidi

I was both, and have now been a non-smoker for over 6 months. I did tons of cardio when I still smoked, and honestly didn't think it made a big difference at the time, but I can most definitely run a lot longer and workout much harder now as a non-smoker. I suffered from that chronic smokers cough and just decided it was time to stop the habit once and for all.

A little word of advice...don't wait till you're "ready" to quit. You'll probably never actually 'be ready'. The health benefits and money saved is a huge motivator though!

PlunderBunneh

I'm at about 1/3 a pack a day. I'm trying to get it down, and gradually switching back to my e-cig. I usually quit about twice a year for a month or two, and then fall back into the habit.

I'm not sure if smoking affected my cardio. I took it back up while staying out of state with my in-laws for a couple of weeks, during which I only ran twice. About a week after I came back, my running shoes crapped out on me, I can't do more than a mile without my plantar fascitis kicking back up. So I'm not actually sure if I could still run three or four miles like I could in the spring, while I wasn't smoking.

nickhuffman74

LMFAO. The way you justify your addiction with "We know its dangerous" is for lack of another word stupid. Would you play Russian Roulette? Doubtful because you know how stupid you would be to do that.

fbmandy55

Its a personal choice that affects other people. I specifcally said my problem was being forced to breathe other peoples smoke. If someone chooses to smoke thats on them but there is no real way to smoke in the presence of other people and contain ciggarette smoke to just the person making the "personal choice" to smoke even outside. That's my problem.

If people would some research of their own rather than listening to social stigmas, they would realize the chances of you getting cancer from a smoker walking down the street or the occasional smoker from a bar are so minimal that many reputable medical studies won't even recognize them. The biggest danger of you crossing a smokers path in public is the stench, and that is not enough reason for one to take away someone's personal choice...

Second hand smoke that causes cancer is usually from a person who lives with an in-home smoker or spends a great portion of their time being subject to it.

SmudgerSmithRhino

Hi I stopped smoking in February. I was doing a lot of swiming and I could really tell it was affecting me. Also when I lifted weights my recovery time took longer as my blood was struggling to get oxygen to my muscles and brain.

Since I've stopped I find everything a lot easier, swimming and weights are far better and I'm stronger and faster. I have an App on my phone called QuitNow! which shows you how long you've stopped, how many cigarettes you've not smoked and how much money you have saved. I've not smoked about 3,500 cigarettes and saved £1,250, about $2,500!! Whenever I get weak I just look at the App and it puts me off starting.

And to stop putting weight on I exercised like an absolute b@stard!!!