Smoking and sports - how compatible are they? This question is far from idle: according to the WHO, in Russia 37% of the smoking population are officially registered. At the same time, millions of people began to think about their health and decided to go in for sports.
Of course, if a smoker decided to increase his physical activity, then something in his life did not suit him, and it was time to change his lifestyle. But even professional athletes smoke . American basketball player Michael Jordan, for example, or Canadian boxing champion Arturo Gatti.
Is it possible to combine?
Can smoking and sports activities be completely compatible? To date, there is no unequivocal opinion on this issue. Some believe that sports and cigarettes are categorically incompatible. Others believe that with moderate tobacco use and regular exercise, nothing bad will happen - physical activity will support the smoker's health and can protect him from the negative consequences of cigarette use.
Let's look at the pros and cons and make our decision. So, are smoking and sport compatible?
Is smoking good?
Not so long ago, it turned out that smoking significantly, within 70%, reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease. Approximately the same data were obtained for Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Moreover, a cigarette protects a potential patient only when the person is a smoker. If you quit smoking, then the percentage of chance of getting sick is relatively fast approaching that of non-smokers.
Smokers almost never have sepsis. This is due to the fact that nicotine in the body inhibits the production of a specific protein and prevents sepsis. In addition, smokers almost never have acne (youthful acne). The exact reason for their appearance has not yet been clarified by scientists, but the connection between smoking and their absence is very clear.
Pleasure! Of course, this is the main reason why people smoke. Smoking brings the undoubted pleasure of the process - the lips feel the shape and light roughness of the filter, the nose feels the delicious smell of tobacco smoke. He fills the lungs with hot heat. Cigarettes clearly protect against depression and stress, which is the real scourge of life in the 21st century.
The effect of smoking on sports
Proponents of the categorical rejection of nicotine give their arguments:
- 88% of patients with myocardial infarction.
- 100% of patients with laryngeal cancer.
- 95% of patients with tuberculosis.
- 80% of patients with chronic bronchitis.
- 96% of patients with lung cancer.
All these people are smokers.
In addition, tobacco tar, partially passing through the smoker's lungs, settles there in an amount of about 1 kilogram per year. Erectile dysfunction and the menstrual cycle is not a complete list of what cigarette smoke carries to us.
It is also sad that a similar result of attitude to one’s health can be obtained regardless of whether a person smokes a pack a day or a couple of cigarettes. Even when one cigarette is consumed per day, a person is considered a smoker and is at risk. Smokers (but still smokers!) People simply do not have time to adapt the body to the use of dangerous substances contained in a cigarette. Hence the consequences, which are no more light than those of heavy smokers. So smoking affects the sport negatively.
Second hand smoke
Even if a person does not smoke, he may be exposed to the negative effects of tobacco smoke, just being in the same room with smokers. After the most thorough ventilation in the room on the walls and ceiling, a high concentration of semi-volatile organic compounds (PLOS) remains, the most famous of which is nicotine. And an ordinary person in his entire life spends about 85-90% of his time indoors. In the fresh air, the street is no better. PLOS settle on the walls of buildings, visors of porches, on the bark of trees, on cars and sidewalks. This causes serious environmental damage.
Smoking cessation and sports
Second-hand smoke brings not only displeasure from having to breathe stagnant tobacco smoke. Studies have been conducted, which turned out that never-smokers who constantly inhale other people's tobacco smoke are at a 90% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who do not. According to studies conducted in the USA, about 50,000 deaths were caused by secondhand smoke. This is equal to the number of reported deaths from Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and much more than the number of reported killings by the police in this country. How does smoking affect sports?
So, probably, we can conclude: smoking still does harm, and especially when playing sports. Smoking is a loss even if there is some useful ingredient in the process. But it definitely brings pleasure, otherwise we would not smoke. So how does smoking affect athletes or just people who welcome physical activity in their lives? Let's figure out what sports brings to us.
Are physical activities and sports harmful?
Is smoking good after sports? We probably all remember the story of the first marathon from school: the Greek Fiddipid ran a distance of 42 kilometers from the Marathon to Athens and died on the trading floor, transmitting important information. James Fix, who wrote the famed bestseller All About Running and had hundreds of fans and associates around the world, died on the run at the age of 52. Every year, deaths of young and promising athletes are recorded. Huge fees and popularity motivate them to work at the limit of human capabilities, to reach new heights in their profession. The average age of Olympic champions who have devoted their whole lives to sports is an average of 70-80 years. Testicular cancer is unfortunately the most common disease among professional cyclists. And for vegetarians, sports are simply contraindicated, since active physical activity will cause severe deficiency of vitamin B 12 in their bodies. But why? Because, probably, everything is good in moderation. With high physical activity, you should not include the program of "self-destruction" and work in the gym or on the treadmill "for wear".
Are physical activities and sports helpful?
If the sport is against smoking, and you smoke, then in order to determine for yourself the opportunity to play sports, you must first consult a doctor. Your doctor will tell you if your workouts are allowed and how intense they can be. And only after making sure that it is safe for you, you need to start training.
Yes, physical activity is beauty, a fit body, and well-being. With constant sports, the muscle corset improves, the immune system stabilizes and the musculoskeletal system normalizes. The lungs develop, the cardiovascular system improves, the bones become stronger.
For a modern person, physical activity and sports are a wonderful hobby.
How does smoking affect the body during exercise?
Are smoking and sport compatible? The consequences of this can be very serious. Most often, athletes smoke, whose sports load is not tied to the need for intensive breathing. For example, bodybuilders. We all remember the famous peerless "iron Arnie" who does not part with a cigar. In addition, while the body is young and strong, the special effects of smoking may not be felt. But!
Respiratory system
When practicing any sport, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems work, first of all. And the smoker's lungs are clogged with pitches. Yes, the very ones that settle in the lungs of a smoker at a rate of about 1 kilogram per year. Therefore, shortness of breath and coughing may appear from the very first minutes of performing sports exercises. A small (due to the fact that smokers lung volume is reduced) the amount of oxygen entering the blood does not make it possible to complete the exercises fully. During a warm-up or jogging, pain may appear in the right side, and this indicates that the liver involved in metabolic processes can not cope with such loads. Disturbed natural gas exchange and elimination of waste substances, reduced endurance. In addition, when smoking, the elasticity of the lung tissue decreases, healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue.
The cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular system is most affected. In a smoker, the heart muscle almost always works in a faster rhythm, blood pressure is higher than normal, and the walls of the vessels are narrowed. When superimposed on these negative factors also physical activity, the heart begins to work to the limit. And this does not contribute to strengthening the heart muscle, but rather leads to its quick and meaningless wear. In the worst case, this attitude to your heart can lead to myocardial infarction. Smoking narrows the vessels of the brain, just like the rest.
And with sports loads, narrowed vessels and high blood pressure can lead to a stroke. During smoking, the vessels narrow and remain in this state for some time. With sports loads, on the contrary, blood vessels require a sharp expansion to increase blood flow. What is it? Unhappy vessels experience an unprecedented load. Such persistent chronic shakes lead to rapid wear of the body. And it turns out that the smoking athlete gets the opposite result of why he went to the gym or on the treadmill. Should smoking and sport be combined?
CNS
Nicotine tends to deplete the central nervous system. And it is important for a person involved in sports to have a margin of safety, will, and a mood for a persistent transfer of pain and discomfort. With a combination of cigarettes and physical activity, coordination of movements is reduced, which often leads to serious injuries.
Muscles and bones
The fact is well known: due to chronic vasospasm in smokers, blood supply to organs and tissues also suffers. In this regard, the delivery and absorption of nutrients is also slowed down. This can lead to the fact that even the slightest sports injury, usual, for example, sprain, can take much more time to recover than a non-smoker. Muscles that receive less nutrition grow and develop worse. In addition, a protein-breaking enzyme is found in smokers in the blood. Therefore, smoking is completely contraindicated for people whose main goal is the formation of a beautiful athletic figure, for example bodybuilders.
Smoking and sports are incompatible. Even simple smoking without exercise is much less dangerous than a combination of exercise and nicotine. But what to do for those who are still under the control of addiction?
Some tips for those who have not parted with a cigarette, but are actively practicing
You must convince yourself to stop smoking at least for a couple of hours before training. It is necessary that the spasm of the vessels, so characteristic of smokers, is over. This will lead to the fact that the heart and blood vessels during training will no longer work in the "over load" mode. It doesn’t work for several hours? At least an hour. You can’t, then it’s better not to go to training at all than to wear out your heart and blood vessels.
You need to train to the best of your ability, gradually increasing the load. This simple tip is actually quite important: the lungs will gradually be cleared of smoking products. This process will help to avoid "overloads" that absolutely negatively affect your health.
Refrain from smoking immediately after exercise. Better a few hours. Why? The answer is the same: the vessels are dilated, the heart beats fast and fast, driving oxygen to the muscles. The lungs work at full strength, pumping oxygen into the blood. If you smoke at this moment, the result will be very negative, much more sad than just smoking in a calm state. How long will it take? It is individual. But at least three hours is better not to smoke.
Go in for sports two to three times a week. Not less, but not more often. Gradually, when the smoking habit begins to recede, you can increase the load.
Well, now you will know that even a smoker needs to be engaged in physical activity. The responsibility for our health lies primarily with us! Simultaneous smoking and exercise will affect it negatively.