The nicotine and carbon mon-
oxide from smoking may make
your blood “sticky” and your
arteries may become narrow.
Narrow arteries reduce the
flow of blood to your heart,
muscles, and other body or-
gans, making exercise harder.
During exercise, blood flow
helps boost oxygen supply to
your muscles. If your muscles
don’t get oxygen fast enough,
your body can’t work as well.
Smoking increases your resting
heart rate. Your resting heart
rate is how many beats per
minute your heart produces
when you are not being active.
When you smoke, this number
is increased because of the ex-
tra work your heart has to do
to keep your body going. Your
heart rate could possibly rise to
dangerous levels to perform the
physical activities you’re ask-
ing your heart to do. A higher
than normal resting heart rate
can increase the risk of death.
You’re able to exercise better
when your lung capacity is
good and your lungs work well.
Smoking hurts your lung capac-
ity. The tar in cigarette smoke
coats your lungs and makes the
air sacs less elastic. Smoking
also produces phlegm that can
make your lungs congested.
Smoking even a few cigarettes
a day can decrease your body’s
ability to use oxygen effectively.
Exercise can be an import-
ant part of your plan to quit
smoking. Exercise reduces
cravings and helps you man-
-age other withdrawal symp-
toms and reduce stress. Plus,
when you quit, your heart
rate will decrease, your blood
circulation will increase, and
your lung function will im-
prove—making your work-
out performance better too.
Gym goers are often aware
they need to have plenty of
rest and eat healthy for optimal
muscle growth and strength.
You’ll often find them eating
loads of eggs, nuts and meat.
They also make sure they get
sufficient amounts of sleep
for their muscles to recover.
There is an important factor
that is often overlooked by
gym rats however: smoking.
Some are too addicted to stop
but others are unaware of the
negative effects smoking has
on their bodies. I interviewed
Brad Gouthro on the matter.
He is a fitness professional and
was named one of the hottest
trainers in America. I asked
him how smoking affects your
body’s physical performance.
Here is what he has to say: “For
peak performance with lifts
and sprints, it’s crucial for your
muscles to efficiently receive the
required flow of oxygen-rich
blood. Smoking quickly halts
this as it causes your blood ves-
sels to narrow, which then slows
the transport of oxygen-rich
blood to the working muscles.