Anyone work out and smoke?
tanny684
Posts: 196 Member
I smoke (I know it's stupid, I'm an RN) and start with a PT tomorrow. I'm trying hard to quit but struggling. Is it possible to get a decent level of fitness while on the *kitten* (for Americans translate cigarettes hehe). Or have I got to suck it up and quit asap? Would like to hear if anyone has done this xxx thanks x
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Replies
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Listen, i wont sugar coat this for you.
Stop smoking. period.
It doesn't matter what potential level of cardiorespiratory fitness you can acheive while still smoking. You know it's stupid, dangerous, causes cancer, makes you smell bad, and much much more. You are asking us to validate your vice and tell you it's "okay". Why? Because you know it's not. Make some serious changes and plans to stop smoking for your health and the health of others around you.17 -
I found my workouts were brutal when I was a smoker (half a pack a day). Once I quit, everything became so much easier. Then I picked them back up again and (to no surprise) I struggled. Fast forward to today, I have a few puffs on my ecig a few days a week and things are good. My husband still smokes, I'm tempted daily, but I know if I have just one, I'll keep the stupid cycle going. The sooner you can quit, the better you are. Lots of luck and support!!5
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Yes, i want to say that I quit smoking and vaped for over 5 YEARS! I achieved a peak level of fitness while vaping and moved from 12mg, to 6, to 3, to the last two years vaping 0 nic. I quit vaping at the beginning of this year because i just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I woke up and just never had the desire again.
When i started vaping within the first 6 weeks I got my sense of taste and smell back and my lung capacity improved significantly.
I highly recommend you consider using this as a part of your entire plan to quit.6 -
rainbowbow wrote: »Yes, i want to say that I quit smoking and vaped for over 5 YEARS! I achieved a peak level of fitness while vaping and moved from 12mg, to 6, to 3, to the last two years vaping 0 nic. I quit vaping at the beginning of this year because i just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I woke up and just never had the desire again.
When i started vaping within the first 6 weeks I got my sense of taste and smell back and my lung capacity improved significantly.
I highly recommend you consider using this as a part of your entire plan to quit.
Thanks. I did a stupid thing and bought 200 cigarettes for like 25 bucks back from the states and felt compelled to smoke them all. I still have 4 packs left but gonna buy an e cig. I had one but it was too strong. I'm surprised you achieved peak fitness vaping? They make me cough. But I will try one again see if I can get used to it
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I've read conflicting things regarding nicotine absorption while vaping, some say it happens mostly in the mouth while others say the lungs. I didn't get a buzz either way, so I just started keeping the puff in my mouth, not inhaling. No more coughing.rainbowbow wrote: »Yes, i want to say that I quit smoking and vaped for over 5 YEARS! I achieved a peak level of fitness while vaping and moved from 12mg, to 6, to 3, to the last two years vaping 0 nic. I quit vaping at the beginning of this year because i just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I woke up and just never had the desire again.
When i started vaping within the first 6 weeks I got my sense of taste and smell back and my lung capacity improved significantly.
I highly recommend you consider using this as a part of your entire plan to quit.
Thanks. I did a stupid thing and bought 200 cigarettes for like 25 bucks back from the states and felt compelled to smoke them all. I still have 4 packs left but gonna buy an e cig. I had one but it was too strong. I'm surprised you achieved peak fitness vaping? They make me cough. But I will try one again see if I can get used to it
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rainbowbow wrote: »Yes, i want to say that I quit smoking and vaped for over 5 YEARS! I achieved a peak level of fitness while vaping and moved from 12mg, to 6, to 3, to the last two years vaping 0 nic. I quit vaping at the beginning of this year because i just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I woke up and just never had the desire again.
When i started vaping within the first 6 weeks I got my sense of taste and smell back and my lung capacity improved significantly.
I highly recommend you consider using this as a part of your entire plan to quit.
Thanks. I did a stupid thing and bought 200 cigarettes for like 25 bucks back from the states and felt compelled to smoke them all. I still have 4 packs left but gonna buy an e cig. I had one but it was too strong. I'm surprised you achieved peak fitness vaping? They make me cough. But I will try one again see if I can get used to it
Coughing is something that happens to almost everyone who is new because they don't know the technique of vaping. As you get used to it you can to a "straight lung inhale" but almost everyone i've known vaping does "mouth to lung".
With this you do not straight inhale vapor like you would a cigarette. You don't just "suck in" or "breathe in". You draw the vapor into your mouth first and THEN you can inhale it.
In any case, yes, i highly recommend that the one you get is not a cheap one that looks like this:
Or anything that is "pen" styled.
They will likely not provide you with the level of satisfaction that smoking does. going back to smoking will be too easy if you don't enjoy it. I would get a box mod or a tube mod which has a newer chip in it and requires real batteries. they will last you longer and provide a better experience. I would also say you would benefit from an RDA, but the tanks nowadays aren't horrible.
In any case, i would do your research, try e-juice that is maybe 12mg or even 6 and try different flavors. Don't just settle with a "tobacco" flavor. Vaping is not smoking, so i don't recommend you try to replicate your smoking habit with vaping.
Vaping can be a good way to help you quit, but many people vape simply because it is a better and more enjoyeable experience regardless. Like i said, i vaped for 5 years felt fantastic and enjoyed it and had no intentions to quit ever.
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I quit smoking so I could work out effectively. I can barely breathe and run as a nonsmoker...as a smoker, it was 10 times worse. Quit cold turkey 2 years ago and never looked back.7
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I quit 30 years ago. I practiced deep breathing, drank cold glasses of water and sucked on vitamin C lozenges to fend off the urge. Friends and family sat back and watched the show.
After a week or two of non-smoking I had super-smelling powers. Everyone who smoked smelled like an ashtray.
Cardio and weight training may help with the process. They certainly can help with confidence. Take control. And commit to health. Go cold turkey.
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I quit 11 years ago after smoking for 23 years. I worked out as a smoker, and still work out as a non smoker. Guess what? It's MUCH easier now! Not to mention the pride of knowing that finally I am stronger than the cigarettes.6
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The single best thing you can do is stop smoking4
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Thankyou to everyone that replied xx I'm
Gonna try the bigger sub ohm tanks, and not breathe it in as someone suggested. I'm hoping it will be a good incentive to change my whole lifestyle. Thanks again xx0 -
I'm an occasional smoker, more social than anything, but it goes through phases. I might smoke on average 2 cigs a day but then will go a month without smoking. I know I'm strange...anyway, when I work out during times I might smoke I don't notice a difference in my ability to perform. It's not easier when I'm not smoking either. I have a tendency to work hard regardless though. If I'm going to work out I'm going to push it to the max everytime. I'm sure this may be different for heavy smokers as other posters have mentioned.
Cold turkey works for some but I've found slowly cutting off has worked best for me.0 -
I was a two-pack a day smoker when I started running. The first few weeks when I ran were hell, and I ran for all of one, maybe two, blocks. But I made progress despite being a smoker.
Two years after I started running, I ran a sub-40 minutes 10K, which is pretty fast.
Here's the deal though. Quitting smoking is hard. One reason it is hard is because there is no positive reinforcement for not smoking. If I have an urge, and I deny it, then I just still have the urge and I have to continue to endure it, for a while, probably. But, if I give in to the urge.....BAM....that urge goes away immediately. That's the way it is going to be for two, three, four weeks, at least.
But running is easier when you don't smoke. (I finally quit a few years back, with the drug Chantix.) So, you can sort of use running as a positive reinforcement -- or at least something of an inducement.
Plus, for the last 10 years or so of my running days, I used to put off smoking for that day until I had done my run. That was because it was so much easier to run before I smoked.
That can help you to quit too, because sometimes you don't run until 3 pm or 4 pm or even later. So, you are training yourself to go without smoking, and you are kinda getting over the nicotine dependence.
Good luck.
Course, you should quit. But stick with the running even if you cannot.
PS I believe it has been shown that runners cut their lung cancer risk by quite a bit -- even if they have that risk because they are smokers.3 -
GiddyupTim wrote: »I was a two-pack a day smoker when I started running. The first few weeks when I ran were hell, and I ran for all of one, maybe two, blocks. But I made progress despite being a smoker.
Two years after I started running, I ran a sub-40 minutes 10K, which is pretty fast.
Here's the deal though. Quitting smoking is hard. One reason it is hard is because there is no positive reinforcement for not smoking. If I have an urge, and I deny it, then I just still have the urge and I have to continue to endure it, for a while, probably. But, if I give in to the urge.....BAM....that urge goes away immediately. That's the way it is going to be for two, three, four weeks, at least.
But running is easier when you don't smoke. (I finally quit a few years back, with the drug Chantix.) So, you can sort of use running as a positive reinforcement -- or at least something of an inducement.
Plus, for the last 10 years or so of my running days, I used to put off smoking for that day until I had done my run. That was because it was so much easier to run before I smoked.
That can help you to quit too, because sometimes you don't run until 3 pm or 4 pm or even later. So, you are training yourself to go without smoking, and you are kinda getting over the nicotine dependence.
Good luck.
Course, you should quit. But stick with the running even if you cannot.
PS I believe it has been shown that runners cut their lung cancer risk by quite a bit -- even if they have that risk because they are smokers.
Thankyou, that was really helpful. I know a lot of doctors and nurses that smoke, but also run marathons and are in good shape, so I did wonder whether it was doable. Seems an active smoker is better than a non active smoker. I will try and quit though, before the change in routine made it much easier to stop smoking, and I physically felt much more energetic when I quit.
Has anyone had this weird problem....as an aside.....I'm hyperactive. I work a 12.5 hour shift, on my feet all day, stay alert, most days will go out after work. Because I shower and get ready first I'll usually hit the bars around midnight and sometimes be out until 6/7am. When I reluctantly go home because everything has closed. I use smoking and eating crap to sedate myself. When I have more energy it is problematic. At one point I have been banned from drinking caffeine or eating sugar where I work because people were annoyed at how energetic I was. Has anyone else found this problem and what did you do to solve it?0 -
Do you mean smoking literally while you're working out? That sounds a bit silly, I'd wait at least until after lol.
If you're interested in quitting, maybe your trainer will know of some resources. Or a doctor? It's not something that's easy to do, so it's okay to struggle. Just keep moving forward.
Hopefully increasing exercise will help you calm down at night too. Can you try thinking of other habits? Maybe try knitting or colouring in bed as you're waiting to fall asleep? Listen to some music, try some of those pillow sprays that are supposed to soothe... Maybe see if you can get into a sleep clinic if other things aren't working. Have you tried hypnosis? It works for some.0 -
Smoking is bad for you, everyone knows that. I lost 70 lbs on here while smoking. Quitting will make you healthier, you can still lose weight and work out even if you don't quit.0
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Do you mean smoking literally while you're working out? That sounds a bit silly, I'd wait at least until after lol.
If you're interested in quitting, maybe your trainer will know of some resources. Or a doctor? It's not something that's easy to do, so it's okay to struggle. Just keep moving forward.
Hopefully increasing exercise will help you calm down at night too. Can you try thinking of other habits? Maybe try knitting or colouring in bed as you're waiting to fall asleep? Listen to some music, try some of those pillow sprays that are supposed to soothe... Maybe see if you can get into a sleep clinic if other things aren't working. Have you tried hypnosis? It works for some.Do you mean smoking literally while you're working out? That sounds a bit silly, I'd wait at least until after lol.
If you're interested in quitting, maybe your trainer will know of some resources. Or a doctor? It's not something that's easy to do, so it's okay to struggle. Just keep moving forward.
Hopefully increasing exercise will help you calm down at night too. Can you try thinking of other habits? Maybe try knitting or colouring in bed as you're waiting to fall asleep? Listen to some music, try some of those pillow sprays that are supposed to soothe... Maybe see if you can get into a sleep clinic if other things aren't working. Have you tried hypnosis? It works for some.Do you mean smoking literally while you're working out? That sounds a bit silly, I'd wait at least until after lol.
If you're interested in quitting, maybe your trainer will know of some resources. Or a doctor? It's not something that's easy to do, so it's okay to struggle. Just keep moving forward.
Hopefully increasing exercise will help you calm down at night too. Can you try thinking of other habits? Maybe try knitting or colouring in bed as you're waiting to fall asleep? Listen to some music, try some of those pillow sprays that are supposed to soothe... Maybe see if you can get into a sleep clinic if other things aren't working. Have you tried hypnosis? It works for some.Do you mean smoking literally while you're working out? That sounds a bit silly, I'd wait at least until after lol.
If you're interested in quitting, maybe your trainer will know of some resources. Or a doctor? It's not something that's easy to do, so it's okay to struggle. Just keep moving forward.
Hopefully increasing exercise will help you calm down at night too. Can you try thinking of other habits? Maybe try knitting or colouring in bed as you're waiting to fall asleep? Listen to some music, try some of those pillow sprays that are supposed to soothe... Maybe see if you can get into a sleep clinic if other things aren't working. Have you tried hypnosis? It works for some.
Thanks. It's difficult because I work a lot of nights so don't sleep well anyway. As a senior nurse I have a lot of acutely unwell patients which can be stressful, particularly at night when it's out of hours and medical cover isn't as great. But when I go out for a cigarette, and see colleagues, we all have a joke and a laugh and cheer each other up. So the association now isn't just smoking as in nitocine replacement but feeling better, getting fresh air, having a ten minute actual break (not writing notes while eating your sandwich). That's hard to give up. It's now 01.28am and I have to be up at 5am. So will get maybe three hours sleep. But I'm fine on that. Can work a 13 hour shift on that. This is my worry....if I quit smoking and eat healthily, and get bundles of energy, I will never sleep, or sit down.
I've tried hypnosis but sadly it didn't work for me
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Think I will probably have to get a second job or something to keep me occupied. Thanks for your reply I appreciate it x0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »Yes, i want to say that I quit smoking and vaped for over 5 YEARS! I achieved a peak level of fitness while vaping and moved from 12mg, to 6, to 3, to the last two years vaping 0 nic. I quit vaping at the beginning of this year because i just didn't feel like doing it anymore. I woke up and just never had the desire again.
When i started vaping within the first 6 weeks I got my sense of taste and smell back and my lung capacity improved significantly.
I highly recommend you consider using this as a part of your entire plan to quit.
True that, quit smoking and am now vaping at 0% nicotine, a true miracle for me. Love hearing thos stories. Congrats.. Tanny684, it works.. Loved your post Rainbow.. MFP rocks, inspirational..1 -
Smoker here too. What I've noticed over the past few weeks is that I'm smoking less and less each day. I'm doing C25K and 30 day shred. It's usually at least an hour and a half before I reach for one after doing either of those. I'm consciously replacing some cigarettes with water too.
I tried vaping before but I personally don't like it. I hope to have quit smoking completely by Christmas.1 -
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Can I ask why you can't smoke and workout? Not that I'm proud of it been smoking and workingout over 15 Years now... smoking doesn't effect muscle growth?2
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I got to the point that I just didn't want to smoke anymore. My own habit disgusted me. Then it was a case of mind over matter! How can a 10cm paper stick have more control over you than you over it.
Get in the right mind set and it will happen. You have to want to quit.
Good luck, it's hard, but worth it
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k9education wrote: »I have never seen the point in working out at all if you are a smoker. The two simply don't mix.
FWIW, I quit 8.5 years ago at the same time that I started my health and fitness journey.
It does mix. One has nothing to do with the other except it's a bit easier without smoking I guess. I ran as a smoker, quit for a few months and still ran, took up smoking again for my own reasons and still run. I honestly didn't notice a difference between working out as a smoker and as a former smoker, possibly because I gained weight when I quit so it may have canceled out any "ease" I was supposed to feel.0 -
I got to the point that I just didn't want to smoke anymore. My own habit disgusted me. Then it was a case of mind over matter! How can a 10cm paper stick have more control over you than you over it.
Get in the right mind set and it will happen. You have to want to quit.
Good luck, it's hard, but worth it
What I have bolded above is exactly the mindset that helped me to quit. There was no way in the world I was going to let that cigarette be stronger than I was anymore. I was actually quite ashamed of myself the day I had my last one. Sitting outside at my FIL's funeral with the rest of the smokers, while my MIL sat inside by herself. I had my last smoke on the way home after laying him to rest. Hubby still smokes two packs a day tho, so the shame was mine alone..lol.2 -
You know as well as I do that you should quit. We also both know that I should quit, but *kitten* that noise. I'll stop smoking again when I decided to quit being lazy and get a new RDA. I hadn't smoked in years, and then some chucklefuck knocked my vaporizor off of the bumper of my truck at work, and proceeded to back over it.0
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I smoked 1-2 packs a day for almost 20 years, but I was also morbidly obese. My advice to you would be to stop smoking. I know much easier said than done. The level of fitness you receive by working out, can be quickly negated by smoking.
You're working out to be fit, healthier and live longer (I would assume) but you're smoking, tempting fate knowing it can cause all types of problems? Seems like a waste of time. Either smoke and accept what could be or workout to be healthy, you can't have it both ways. Sure you can work out and look "fit", but you're still smoking and that does not equal being healthy - not to mention, you smell like a cigarette. That certainly doesn't give the impression of being fit or healthy. The definition of "fitness" is "the condition of being physically fit and healthy". You're going to have to "suck it up and quit asap."
I read your post that said it's a relaxation thing and it's social, etc. I would suggest finding anything other than cigarettes (or any drug that can make you sick) or food to help you relax. working out, exercising, taking a walk, all can help with relaxation and stress management. I am currently watching my 73 year old mother, a smoker since the age of about 14, suffer from all types of maladies related to smoking. About the only thing she doesn't have is lung cancer at this point. I sincerely 100% do not ever want to suffer from lack of oxygen...that does not sound fun to me AT ALL.
You obviously care about yourself, take care of yourself in all ways, not just on what everyone can see. I wish you lots of luck in quitting!!1 -
I'm an ex smoker, smoked for around 8 years. I could never push myself even close to how I do now. Honestly giving up smoking is the best thing I've ever done.
Personally, i don't even see the point in trying to improve your health in other ways if you're smoking, its so counter productive.
I quit using a vape, but I don't use those either now. I don't want to be putting chemicals I don't need in my body any more than I already do. If you really want to quit, you'll quit. But if you don't and you feel you HAVE to then you'll fail, and you'll also be wasting a hell of a lot of money on a personal trainer3 -
I'm an occasional smoker and a long(ish) distance runner. There's no reason why you can't do both. There are definitely lots of reasons to quit smoking, but being a smoker doesn't mean you can't work on other aspects of your health.0
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k9education wrote: »I have never seen the point in working out at all if you are a smoker. The two simply don't mix.
FWIW, I quit 8.5 years ago at the same time that I started my health and fitness journey.
I respectfully, but wholeheartedly, disagree. I think being a smoker and working out is much better than being a smoker and not working out.6 -
My advice is stop smoking and continue your work out. In order to achieve your goals you should change your lifestyle and the first thing to do that is quit smoking or if you can't try to minimize it until such time that you can leave it. Good luck.0
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