Cigarettes and Cardio?

Those who think smoking is not affecting their cardiovascular fitness are deluding themselves. At a minimum, when you smoke carbon monoxide binds to the red blood cells thereby reducing their ability to transport oxygen.

When you quit it gets easier and you go faster for longer. I smoked for a long time and quit in Jan 2011.

I know smoking cures weight problems...eventually... I just didn't have that kind of time. Seriously though, I quit about a year ago or so when I joined this site. I found it hard to quit and lose weight at the same time. Eventually I gave up on losing weight to concentrate solely on quitting smoking. Now that I’m certain I’m over that part I’m once again focusing on losing weight. I do think the determination in quitting smoking has rubbed off on my new weight loss goals, so… We’ll see what happens from here I guess.

I'm a smoker too...trying to get through the first round of Insanity. I do okay, but I do have to take my own timed breaks as I get winded too, not only do I feel it's because i'm a smoker, but I have lived a pretty sedentary life for the past ohh...6 years. I have quit smoking twice, I quit when I was pregnant with my first child, and it was pretty easy(I was 17 though). Then last December I quit and stayed smoke free until about March or April. I ended up smoking again because my Fiancee` still smoked, which made it difficult to stay smoke free. I want to quit to an extent, but honestly don't have the will power to do both, changing my eating lifestyle, and putting the nicotine down.

I have been wanting to try the ecig but I have heard that some can cause more buildup of carbon monoxide in your lungs than an actual cigarette. And that some are actually not that healthy for you. I have considered using them to help me quit. I have tried a number of programs and things like the patch(which i'm allergic to).

I know I can get them from my local gas station, and the refills are only 10 bucks and they should last about 3 months, it would definitely help me save money, but I'm wondering if it would help my fiancee` and I actually quit? We're ready, it's just really hard.

I quit smoking almost two months ago and noticed a change almost immediately. I could go a little longer on exercise...I don't have to work as hard to get my heart rate up and it's a much easier to breathe...These are all things that I also noticed while i was smoking the only thing I did differently was that if I knew I was going to work out I tried not to smoke at least two hours before but I always lit one up after i finished.

This is the problem with it though

I believe that if you're going to lose weight just to look good and the health end doesn't matter then you should keep smoking. However, if you are losing weight to be healthy then you will need to quit and this is why...

My current regime includes a two hour workout:

30 minute walk on treadmill speed
3.5-incline 10. MAIN FOCUS-Breathing
30 minute on Arc Trainer
Level 15-Resistance 21 MAIN FOCUS-Breathing
50 minute ab machine
4 Sets, 15 Reps, 35lbs MAIN FOCUS Breathing
10 minute Planking
20 second increments MAIN FOCUS Breathing

When I work out I really try to focus less on my workout and more on my breathing. I put my headphones on and Tune Slacker to Beethoven or Kenny G and workout with my focus being on my breathing. My goal is to strengthen my lungs so that I can begin a running regime.

Great workout/Great Plan...so what's the problem?

The problem is that I do all this work for the sake of my health, my lungs, my breathing and then I turn around and go outside an smoke ultimately undoing all the work that I just put into my workout all that work all those breathing techniques become a waste of time as soon as I take one puff. Working out and smoking the two just don't go well together.

I'm not anti-smoking but I am anti-smoking and working out. It's pointless if you are doing it for more than just looking good!

Yep, i'm a smoker and have been for the last 20 years or so (like you I started at 16). I run regularly and do Taekwondo training twice a week. It doesn't seem to impair me that much (I don't seem to be any more out of breath etc than other people at Taekwondo, and they are non smokers who are significantly younger than me), although I suppose I would perform better if I didn't smoke.

I also smoked more because I could smoke anywhere and couldn't tell how long a normal cigarette would last.

I found this too.

I quit on January 6th. Haven't had one since. I feel awesome. It took some doing to get to the point where I no longer was out of breath. But it's not a problem anymore. Make the decision. It's amazing how great you can feel, how much money you save, how much better your skin will be, how you can breathe and not cough, how much better your clothes, car and home smell, how great it is to eat a whole meal in a restaurant and not have to go out to smoke, how your life is not revolving around a cigarette. But that's just me. It's really a hard thing to do. Best of luck!

Congrats on quitting! I know it's tough--I've tried and failed a couple times. It's just a habit I'm really not ready to give up right now, though. It's one of the few things that relaxes me. I have a very high-stress, type A personality. Granted, there are healthier ways of coping, but this is mine for right now. Your story is inspirational, though. I hope one day I can be at the point you're at.

I just wanted to comment that i am a high stress person as well and always swore that smoking relaxed me only to find that it really didnt! It a stimulent so it actually makes you more hyper! Im so much more relaxed then i was when i smoked! I think its mainly because im not always worrying about when i was going to have my next smoke or have to goto the store to get more etc!

Yep and I don't do so before cardio. Ever. I wake up and work out IMMEJITLY! Therefore everything that I do after...I already got my workout on!

The difference in your performance and speed is amazing even after a couple of weeks off them

im a smoker trying to quit. havent had a cig since monday afternoon. i do notice it being easier to breathe when i am playing racquetball if i dont smoke as much throughout the day. i also run better when i dont smoke. i have my doubts about making it through the weekend smoke free though lol

dont doubt yourself! you are strong and can do this! you are giving up nothing and gaining everything! Good luck!

I smoked for 10 years. I smoked while being active and fit for all ten years, Including one full season of playing college soccer (not advisable), six rugby union seasons and one Aussie Rules football season. I did Tough Mudders, rebel races, warrior dashes, half marathons, 5K's, 10K's, Turkey Trots. I didn't *think* it affected me for any of that time.

Then, in February of this year I quit cold turkey. I was just ready, I guess. Since I quit I've realized exactly how much smoking was affecting me.

Since quitting smoking I have:

- shaved a full two minutes off my mile time
- finally started losing the fat around my waist
- finally finished a full two hour Aussie Rules training without needing my inhaler
- finally gotten really solid sleep (when I smoked I woke up throughout the night. I thought I was just a poor sleeper, turns out it was the nicotine, who knew?!)
- not woken up feeling totally crummy once after a night out despite amount of alcohol consumed
- not wheezed going up the four flights of stairs going up to my fourth floor walk-up apartment (when I smoked, I thought it was weird that someone as "fit" as I was was still wheezing going up stairs)
- found other, more productive ways to deal with stress (I'm also a high strung Type A personality)
- made new connections with my fitness enthusiast friends because I no longer felt like I needed to hide my dirty little secret from them


The list goes on. Rather than ask for advice on how to continue smoking while working on your fitness tackle the underlying issue first. You need to quit, and yes, you can. It's a filthy nasty crutch of a habit that's impeding your growth, both fitness-wise and as a human being, every time you light up. You can do it girl! I believe in you. :flowerforyou:

I quit in June. My stamina has improved 100%. I used to have to hit an inhaler during/after cardio exercises, but not anymore.
I've also taken up running, when that was a pipe dream in the past.

Congrats, Joe, on going since Monday without smoking. I tried to quit earlier this year and made it a week before I relapsed. Unfortunately it is my favorite pasttime.

I effing LOVE smoking. IT was so hard to actually quit because I enjoy doing it. That's a problem for sure. I don't smoke unless I'm out partying with the guys now or something but I always pay the price for it every time I do any cardio after. I noticed I have way more energy and stamina when I don't smoke.

can I just switch to cigars or a pipe? Is it just the cigarettes?

I was a long time smoker. I started around age 14 :embarassed: and smoked anywhere from a few cigs a day to half a pack if i went out.

I did plenty of cardio while still smoking but I noticed an immediate diffrence once I quit in ways I didn't anticipate.

I knew once I quit that I would get less winded and be able to breath much better but I didn't put two and two together until I actually had about a month free of smoking that increased oxygen in my lungs meant more oxygen in my blood which meant more oxygen getting to all my muscles. I experiened a dramatic reduction on cramping and sore muscles. I felt like I could work out longer and recover faster.

As a smoking runner I would get horrible calf cramps the first mile to mile and a half of each run. BAD. But I would push through the pain and eventually as I ran it would go away. Once I stopped smoking so did the cramps! It made running so much more enjoyable!

I have been smoke free for over 3 years and its one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself health wise. It took a couple tries and it was hard at first but its been a long time now that I don't even think twice about smoking. Its not easy, but there is support out there if you want to quit.

I quit January 21st of this year after being a smoker for 16 years. I have noticed a 100% turn around in my ablility to do cardio. Such a difference!!
However, my husband still smokes (and is a long time smoker) and he can still kick my a** when it comes to cardio. Out runs me with ease.
Of course (everyone knows) smoking is unhealthy but the degree to which it effects ones ability to do cardio (I think) depends on each individual.