Smoking and sports - how compatible are they? This question is far from being idle: according to the WHO, 37% of the smoking population is officially registered in Russia. At the same time, millions of people began to think about their he alth and decided to go in for sports.
Of course, if a smoker decides to increase his physical activity, then something in his life does not suit him, and it's time to change his lifestyle. But even professional athletes smoke. American basketball player Michael Jordan, for example, or world boxing champion Canadian Arturo Gatti.
Can it be combined?
Maybe after all smoking and sports activities are quite 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 consumption and regular exercise, nothing bad will happen - physical activity will support the smoker's he alth and can protect him from the negative effects of cigarette use.
Let's take a look at the pros and"against" and make our decision. So, are smoking and sports compatible?
Is smoking good?
Recently, it was found 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 a person is a smoker. If you quit smoking, then relatively quickly the percentage of the possibility of getting sick approaches that of non-smokers.
Smokers almost never get 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 get acne (juvenile acne). The exact reason for their appearance has not yet been clarified by scientists, but the connection between smoking and their absence can be traced very clearly.
Fun! Of course, this is the main reason why people smoke. Smoking brings undoubted pleasure from the process - the lips feel the shape and slight roughness of the filter, the nose feels the delicious smell of tobacco smoke. It fills the lungs with hot warmth. Cigarettes definitely protect against depression and stress, which is a real scourge of life in the 21st century.
The impact of smoking on sports
Supporters of a categorical refusal of nicotine give their arguments:
- 88% of patients with myocardial infarction.
- 100% of laryngeal cancer patients.
- 95% of TB patients.
- 80% of patients with chronic bronchitis.
- 96% of patientslung cancer.
These people are all 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 menstrual disorders - this is not a complete list of what cigarette smoke brings us.
It's also sad that a similar result of attitude to one's he alth can be obtained regardless of whether a person smokes a pack a day or a couple of cigarettes. Even with the use of one cigarette a day, a person is considered a smoker and is at risk. Low-smokers (but still smokers!) People simply do not have time to adapt the body to the use of hazardous substances contained in a cigarette. Hence the consequences, which are no lighter than those of heavy smokers. So smoking affects sports negatively.
Passive smoking
Even if a person does not smoke, they can be exposed to the negative effects of tobacco smoke just by being in the same room with smokers. After the most thorough ventilation in the room, a high concentration of semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remains on the walls and ceiling, the most famous of which is nicotine. And an ordinary person spends about 85-90% of his time indoors in his entire life. In the fresh air, on the street is no better. PLOS settle on the walls of buildings, canopies of entrances, on the bark of trees, on cars and sidewalks. This causes serious harm to the environment.
Smoking cessation and sports
Passive smoking bringsnot only the displeasure of having to breathe stagnant tobacco smoke. Studies have been conducted, as a result of which it turned out that people who never smoke, who constantly inhale other people's tobacco smoke, are at a 90% higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases than those who do not face it. According to studies conducted in the United States, about 50,000 deaths occurred precisely as a result of passive smoking. This is equal to the number of reported deaths from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and far more than the number of police-reported homicides in this country. How does smoking affect exercise?
So, perhaps, we can conclude: smoking is still harmful, and especially when playing sports. Smoking is losing even if there is some useful component in this 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 see what sport brings us.
Physical activity and sports are harmful?
Is smoking good after sports? We all probably remember the history of the first marathon from school: the Greek Fiddipid ran a distance of 42 kilometers from Marathon to Athens and died on the market square, passing on important information. James Fix, who wrote the famous bestseller All About Running and had hundreds of fans and associates around the world, died jogging at the age of 52. Every yeardeaths 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 devoted themselves to sports all their lives is on average 70-80 years. Testicular cancer is unfortunately the most common disease among professional cyclists. And sports are simply contraindicated for vegetarians, since active physical activity will cause a severe deficiency of vitamin B 12 in their bodies. But why? Probably because everything is good in moderation. With high physical activity, you should not turn on the “self-destruction” program and work in the gym or on the treadmill “for wear and tear.”
Physical activity and sports are useful?
If sports are against smoking, and you smoke, then in order to determine for yourself the possibility of playing sports, you must first of all consult a doctor. Your doctor will tell you if you are allowed to exercise 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 toned body, great well-being. With constant sports, the muscle corset improves, the work of the immune system stabilizes and the work of the musculoskeletal system normalizes. The lungs develop, the work of the cardiovascular system improves, the bones become stronger.
For a modern person, physical activity and sports are a great hobby.
Like smokingaffects the body during exercise?
Are smoking and sports 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 incomparable "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 doing any kind of sport, first of all, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems work. A smoker's lungs are full of tar. Yes, yes, the very ones that settle in the lungs of a smoking person in the amount of about 1 kilogram per year. Therefore, from the very first minutes of performing sports exercises, shortness of breath and coughing may appear. A small (due to the fact that smokers have a reduced lung capacity) amount of oxygen entering the bloodstream does not make it possible to perform exercises with full dedication. During a warm-up or jogging, pain may appear in the right side, and this suggests that the liver involved in metabolic processes cannot cope with such loads. Natural gas exchange and excretion of waste substances are disturbed, endurance is reduced. In addition, when smoking, the elasticity of the lung tissue decreases, he althy tissues are replaced by scar tissue.
Cardiovascular system
The cardiovascular system suffers the most. In a smoking person, the heart muscle almost always works in a rapid rhythm, blood pressure is comparedwith the norm is increased, and the walls of the vessels are narrowed. When these negative factors are also superimposed on physical activity, the heart begins to work at its limit. And this does not contribute to the strengthening of the heart muscle, rather leads to its rapid and senseless wear. In the most extreme case, such an attitude towards one's heart can lead to a myocardial infarction. Smoking also constricts the vessels of the brain, just like the rest.
And with sports loads, constricted blood vessels and high blood pressure can lead to a stroke. During smoking, the blood vessels constrict and remain in this state for some time. In sports, on the contrary, blood vessels require a sharp expansion to increase blood flow. What happens? Unfortunate vessels are experiencing an unprecedented load. Such constant chronic shaking leads to rapid deterioration of the body. And it turns out that a smoking athlete gets the opposite result to why he went to the gym or on the treadmill. Should I combine smoking and sports?
CNS
Nicotine tends to deplete the central nervous system. And for a person involved in sports, it is important to have a margin of safety, will, and a mindset for a persistent transfer of pain and discomfort. The combination of cigarettes and physical activity reduces coordination of movements, which often leads to serious injuries.
Muscles and bones
The fact is well known: due to chronic vasospasm in smokers, the blood supply to organs and tissues also suffers. In this regard, the delivery and absorption of nutrients is also slowed down. itcan lead to the fact that even the most minor sports injury, a common sprain, for example, can take much longer to recover than a non-smoker. Muscles that receive less nutrition grow and develop worse. In addition, an enzyme that breaks down protein is found in the blood of smokers. Therefore, smoking is completely contraindicated for people whose main goal is to form 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 about those who are still under the power of addiction?
Some advice for those who have not parted with a cigarette yet, but are actively training
You need to convince yourself to refrain from smoking for at least a couple of hours before training. It is necessary that the spasm of blood vessels, so characteristic of smokers, ends. This will lead to the fact that the heart and blood vessels during training will no longer work in the "overload" mode. Can't get it for a few hours? At least an hour. If you can’t, then it’s better not to go to training at all than to wear out the heart and blood vessels.
You need to train to the best of your ability, gradually increasing the load. This simple advice is actually very important: the lungs will gradually be cleared of smoking products. This process will help you avoid “overloads” that absolutely negatively affect your he alth.
Stop smoking immediately after your workout. A few hours is better. Why? Answerthe same: the vessels are dilated, the heart beats strongly and quickly, bringing oxygen to the muscles. The lungs work at full capacity, 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? This is individual. But it is better not to smoke for at least three hours.
Exercise two to three times a week. Not less often, but not more often either. Gradually, as the smoking habit begins to recede, you can increase the load.
Well, now you will know that even for a smoker physical activity is important and necessary. We are primarily responsible for our he alth! Smoking and sports at the same time will affect him negatively.
