Cigarettes and Cardio?

CassandraChloeJ

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gavini

Really, who truly enjoys smoking?

**raises hand** i enjoyed smoking a great deal and while you are right it is mental like most things in life your flippant attitude that totally writes off those who dont want to quit seems strange to me coming from a former smoker but everyone's experience is different so perhaps you have a very different perspective.


I quit more than 24 days and 7 hours ago. Skipping the last 245 cigarettes has saved me $72, and I came soooooo close to buying a pack about an hour or so ago but decided not to.

BACK to the question of the thred...
When possible, I would smoke as I walked up to the gym door, in high school I smoked right before basketball practice

For most of my 14 marathons (decent times, usually under three and a half hours) I have done I smoked at least one cigarette in the car on the way to the start line and of course I had several as soon as i possibly could after every workout, race, game etc ever, that’s the best cigarette possible, boy do I miss that post workout ritual.

RE: affect on my fitness...
I think I sleep better and have more energy when I am not smoking which of course will affect your ability to exercise and everything else in your life- plenty of studies showing that you need good sleep to lose weight no matter what the rest of your lifestyle looks like.

I am in great shape in many ways and my yearly check ups confirm this, but haven’t been able to shed the last belly fat to find the six pack that lives under neath it … There have been studies showing that smoking inhibits fat loss, no idea if this is a correlation or causation situation for me.

My last marathon was the first one where I didn’t smoke during the training, gave up for about 6 months hoping to see some improvement, and I honestly don’t think I saw any improvements in my training or performance that I could directly attribute to quitting smoking. part of why it was easy to get back up to half a pack a day after the race. It is of course hard to isolate things out and the energy level issue allowed me to better stick to my workout plan so that is kind of one step removed but still a very big affect.

All that said, if you arent ready to quit, don’t. You need to be ready and to be completely convinced that this is the right thing and what you want and what you are willing to work for, otherwise I think you should enjoy it since I hate someone who says “I am trying to quit” while they light one up. If you are one of those people who say they hate smoking then you need to quit right away, why do something you don’t like that has so many negatives associated with it? and don’t “try” to do anything. It is all up to you, you arent trying you are doing, so either do it or don’t, there is no try.

seems that there are very differing results from those who exercise a lot when smoking so it is hard to say what your results will be.

lastly, RE: quiting
I always have loved smoking. There are pro’s and con’s to smoking. Until you convince yourself that the cons outweigh the pro’s (they do of course and you know that but it doesn’t mean you are completely convinced) then you arent doing anybody any favors.

Keep reading these forums, listen to your loved ones who beg you to quit, look at your empty bank account, read that alan carr book every one raves about and it will start to click, you may still want to smoke but the cons will start winning the day and then you can and will quit smoking. May take a relapse or two for it to stick or maybe not but get to that point and you can do it.

Hellbent_Heidi

As for non-smokers and former smokers chiming in here, honestly, this thread is not for you. I see a lot of people posting things in other threads about people being negative and mean on here, and this is one of those cases. If you do not smoke, this thread has nothing to do with you, so move on to a different subject. Us smokers are completely aware of the health related issues with smoking, and we really don't need you pointing it out to us. Thank you.

The OP did specifically ask if there were "former smokers who quit when they started exercising".

I do agree somewhat about the preachy attitudes, nasty pictures, etc. I also knew the risks during all of the years I was a smoker, and didn't need to be called stupid by those who never smoked or considered themselves smarter for quitting before I did!

But I also know that quitting is HARD, so I think the experience of former smokers can be helpful (as long as it keeps within what the OP was asking for - which was "to hear your personal experience, not create an anti-smoking controversy").

opalescence

I've smoked since I was 15, I've tried to quit several times but nerves and stress never let it stick. I still plan on quitting but right now I dont want anything to derail my progress and once I get to a comfortable spot with my weight loss or at least to a maintenance stage I will have a plan of action.
I tried to quit about 3 years ago when the Dr. said I was at the beginning stages of COPD of course then I didnt do any cardio and now I do cardio 5 or more days a week. I've cut back a good deal but still smoke 1/2 pack a day and when my asthma flares up I have to puff my inhaler. I'm also more susceptible to respiratory infections and bronchitis and dont forget about the allergies.

but first and foremost is my weight loss journey, I can only tackle one thing at a time.

PixieGoddess

I can promise, no I can guarantee that no one ever regrets stopping smoking. I bet you more than a few regret never stopping.

I regret stopping smoking every time I want a cigarette. :laugh: And I will no doubt be happy that I already quit whenever I get pregnant, which is one of the main reasons I quit. (My quote: I'll already have to give up booze for 9 months, might as well be used to not having smokes either.) But as of right now, almost 3 years since my last cigarette, there are days when *not smoking* is stressful enough that I feel it outweighs the benefits of not smoking. And if I wasn't so damned cheap or picky with my brand, I'd be smoking again today. No question.

RLSchwabe

Yeah well if you're in my town and you walk your kids by me while smoking and you yell at me, I'll slap you for being stupid.. Posturing on a message board. For shame.

Glenno33

Man seriously doesn't hold me back.still bench 140 kg go to the gym 5days then 5 off and have a few drinks for the days off too.still I know the thought its bad for your health always remains.i never cough nothin but I was chatting to a mate that went to a seminar where he quit were saying its worse if you don't cough cause your body isn't getting rid of it.i know I can't talk now but I'm more aware and the time will come.

sullus

I smoked for almost 14 years and quit last november.

QUIT SMOKING. IT WILL KILL YOU AND THOSE AROUND YOU.

If you live in the same town as me and you are smoking anywhere near my children I promise to swear at you and tell you to kill yourself somewhere else.

It's just like loosing weight or exercising. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO. Know one can tell you to or make you. If you don't want to quit you won't.

I disagree. It's what allows them to live.

sandraz30

I quit smoking 16 months ago....I started jogging when I quit to keep me from going back to the habit. I started smoking when I was 14 (I am now 54).....and I gained 26 pounds....without even knowing it. And I am about 46 pounds overweight according to so many charts. However, I have only lost 4.5 pounds from when I went to the doctor and he told me I had high cholesterol....and said lose weight! I wear a size 16, am 5'8" and my pants are almost falling off just from losing that small amount of weight. I couldn't keep jogging when I quit last year because I was so winded. Now I exercise on a treadmill 4 times a week, sweat like crazy and I feel super super good!
My point is I think everyone should quit smoking...........but I also know that gaining 26 pounds from quitting is not healthy either. So...quit when you are ready and try not to smoke when you are strong enough to do that. Most importantly eat healthy and keep exercising:)

Glenno33

Yea I know but even going to the pub I wouldn't take them,family doesn t know ,only at home.i guess I am embarrassed but alone it's like a free ticket. Something ill get my head around

Glenno33

Did you lose heaps of weight too.?what ever your doing you're doing a great job cheers

x2greenxeyes

I was a smoker from 19 until 22. It took me about two years on and off to quit. I actually used to work out more when I was 19 than I did when I was 23. In fact, I used to enjoy an after work out cigarette. As I got older however, I noticed that the smoking started to affect my cardio and work out. It seemed if I kept up with it I would be okay, but if I went 2 + weeks without running it would definitely pose a problem. What helped me to quit was just doing it in little bits. Maybe this isn't right for everyone, but I wanted my cardio to be better so I started to try to quit. On and off on and off. What I found was the best:

Limiting myself to 4 cigarettes a day and making sure I didn't habitually do it (such as after I ate or at certain times of the day). I used to enjoy a cigarette and coffee, listening to music, talking on the phone, hanging with friends or driving while I smoked. So I told myself I could only have those 4 cigarettes if I didn't do any of those things. After a while, I broke the habit and with the added cardio goals it became easier to quit. My first year I probably had a cigarette every 4 months when my friends would go to the cigar shop to hang out. Then my second year it was almost gross to me to have a cigarette. Now I don't have any cravings what so ever like I used to.

GiddyupTim

I jogged and played soccer twice a week and smoked for 20 years. I do not recommend it. But, I wasn't able to quit. And, i still think I was much better off exercising than not exercising.
I believe that regular running when you smoke cuts your lung cancer risk fairly dramatically.

CiaLater86

I had actually quit smoking a year prior to my new fitness "journey" i woke up everymorning feeling enthusiastic and then fullfilled knowing I completed my morning work out to the best of my capabilities. I started smoking again 2 months ago (i have no idea why) but i cant go for aslong with out getting dizzy and light headed. and then i hack up a lung afterwords. but i still look forward to my post workout smoke!

GiddyupTim

I finally quit, with Chantix! Yay!

But before that: I smoked daily since i was 13 years old. About a year or two later, I quit playing soccer, probably because I had started smoking. I remember there was a playoff game. I was a critical member of the midfield. The night before, I had been out smoking. That day, I could not run, not like I normally did. We lost. My coach was pissed. He kept me after the game and made me run the circumference of the field a bunch of times -- and the season was over once we lost! He was that disappointed in me.

Fast forward to age 20 years. I needed a physical outlet and I started running. As a smoker, i was pathetic at first. I could run half a block -- maybe. But even though smoking seriously impairs your cardio ability, you can build it up. It just takes longer and it is probably harder.

I was determined. I built mine up. Slowly, I went from half a block, run every day, to a block every day, after about two weeks. Finally, to a mile and then longer.

By the time I was 26 years I was running four days a week -- 6-7 miles runs and hills and working to get faster and better. About age 30 years I began playing soccer again.

Soccer players like to say that you can drink and still play soccer. But, you cannot smoke and still play soccer. That is only half true. There is no question it impairs you. But, you can still play if you work hard to maintain you wind, by playing regularly or whatever. By the time I returned to playing, I stopped smoking on the day I had a game, before the game. Same with running. I held off from smoking until after I took my run.

It was hard. But it was better than running after smoking!

When I finally quit, running probably became easier, but I am not even sure I can actually say that. I might have built my capacity to the point that it did not make a difference.

Hellbent_Heidi

I finally quit, with Chantix! Yay!

:drinker: Way to go...Congratulations!

JCLondonUK

I smoked 20 a day for 30 years, before switching to e-cigs about 18 months ago. I still grab the e-cig the minute I leave the gym.

I didn't think that smoking affected me when I smoked, but now I can tell how much it actually did. Cardio is soooo much easier now!

For those curious about e-cigs, don't buy the ones from the newsagent that look like cigarettes. They really are horrible! And they are rip-off prices too. Do your research and find a decent brand online in your country. I had no intention of giving up smoking, but the e-cig tasted so much better (and was so much cheaper) I switched immediately and painlessly. They're a great invention!

Annesoucy1957

Having stopped smoking previously and started over for no good reason, I saw a difference, major one in my case. In the process of quitting again, limiting to one cigarette after each meal but I am finding that I am maintaining my nicotine craving that way, just bought the Thrive 1mg mints and will try that.