Smoking and exercising. Dangerous or not?
Nobody needs to tell you that smoking is bad for you, and it’s common sense that exercise is good for you. So, how does one affect the other? In order to shed some light on the matter, let’s dissect the scenario at hand.
How smoking impacts exercise
In order to exercise at your best, your body needs to function at optimum efficiency. Smoking raises your blood pressure which makes your heart beat more rapidly and constricts blood flow to your muscles. It also causes shortness of breath – due to diminished lung capacity – and nausea, which reduces stamina. Furthermore, smoking is a notorious culprit of cancer and respiratory disease. It is also worth mentioning that binge drinking and poor dietary habits have often been accompanied by smoking – both of which drastically mitigate the healthy effects of working out on the body.
Smoking’s impact on exercise is, safe to say, not good. Also:
The two don’t cancel each other out
Contrary to what your not-so-obedient high school peers in the rugby team prophesied, working out doesn’t eliminate, or even mitigate, the effects of lighting up. Your body can not “get rid” of the harsh effects of regular smoking through exercising.
So, is exercise dangerous when combined with smoking?
It has been proven that smoking within two hours of exercising can actually set you up for a heart attack. Your heart needs oxygen when exercising to pump blood to your muscles, and smoking causes you to lose oxygen – see the problem? Chest pain after vigorous exercise, though not lethal, is common for smokers.
On the other hand, most doctors agree that an exercising smoker is undoubtedly healthier than a sedentary one.
There is, unfortunately, no simple answer to the above-posed question. And remember:
Everyone is unique
Age, genetics, overall health – these are just a few of the factors that predispose some people more to the detriments of smoking than others.
The conclusion? Smoking, though not deadly alongside exercise, has absolutely no positive influence on your body. There is some good news, though: Most doctors agree that the oxygen boost obtained from rigorous physical activity can stave off the desire for cigarettes and help you quit!