Effects of smoking on physical
fitness include that smoking
affects the ability to breathe.
Muscles need oxygen to per-
form and smoking deprives
the body of oxygen. Smok-
ing affects every cell and or-
gan in the body, lungs being
a very important one for ev-
eryday function and exercise.
Smoking damages your body’s
ability to absorb oxygen. Oxy-
gen, as we all know, is crucial
for the well being of all cells of
the body. Muscles do not func-
tion as well with compromised
levels of oxygen, as is the case
with every cell in the body.
Most people focus more on the
long-term effects and conse-
quences of smoking like heart
disease and cancer; however,
many health consequences can
occur quite rapidly, especially
with how it may affect physi-
cal fitness. The impact on the
lungs is undeniable. Chronic
cough increased phlegm pro-
duction, and bronchitis can
impair and limit one’s ability to
stay fit and perform. One study
showed that smoking hurt
young people’s fitness in terms
of both performance and en-
durance, even in those trained
in competitive running. It has
also been shown that the heart
rate of smokers is two to three
beats faster per minute than
that of non-smokers; so when
exercising, a smoker’s heart
must work much harder than
that of the non-smoker. Like
peanut butter and pickles,
smoking and physical fitness
just don’t belong together. It’s
not just because smokers are
less likely to exercise; it’s be-
cause smoking actually impacts
your body’s response to exercise
and your ability to perform it.
Smoke contains many tox-
ic chemicals and gases, with
carbon monoxide as the chief
offender. Smoking has a huge
effect on blood vessels and the
circulatory system as a whole.
Smoking interferes with lung
function and the ability of red
blood cells to carry oxygen. It
blunts your ability to raise your
heart rate to keep up the de-
mands of exercise. Smokers get
tired more easily, have a hard-
er time breathing, and have
more leg pain during exercise
. Smoking also causes your
body to age prematurely. This is
obvious in the physical appear-
ance of those who have smoked
for many years. The aging on
the outside is the same thing
happening on the inside, only
worse. Smoking causes a drop
in self-esteem, which is key for
health and fitness in general.
.
“The above affects are
just the tip of the ice-
berg when it comes
to smoking and your
physical fitness. The
bottom line is that
smoking will decrease
your bodies abilities to
keep up with the de-
mands of your work-
outs. This causes your
workouts to drop in
intensity, duration, vol-
ume and variety which
in turn slows down
your progress towards
your goals. Obvious-
ly the key here is to
quit smoking through
any means neces-
sary. I believe that you
can’t truly be healthy
if you are a smoker...”