At first glance, smoking and exercising do not seem to go hand in hand. Smokers are generally not known for their stamina and overall good health. They do, however, put their health in jeopardy if they do not engage in some kind of exercise to offset the health effects of smoking. If you are a smoker, this is probably not what you want to hear. But there is good news; exercise can help to keep your general health in a better state.
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One of the main detriments of smoking is the effect it has on a person's heart. Every time nicotine is taken into the body, it releases adrenaline into the smoker's system. What this does is cause an increase in heart rate, eventually weakening the heart long before nature would have deemed it time for the heart's performance to decline.
One of the easiest ways to battle this decline is to put some good, old-fashioned cardio into your workout. Running, jogging or brisk walking would be a good recommendation for those not currently in the best of shape. Inevitably, there will be some discomfort when trying to get in those big gasps of air needed when one is expending large amounts of energy. For those smokers who are already semi-active, basketball, tennis or classic aerobics are the next step up.
By taking part in these activities, you increase your heart's strength, just as exercise strengthens any other muscle of the body. The benefits of this are pretty clear-cut: once your heart is stronger, it will be better able to withstand the increased activity smoking causes. If you currently smoke and often feel tired or exhausted, your heart may to be blame. The sooner it is strengthened, the better.
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One of the other major changes exercising will bring to a smoker is the increase in lung health. When a person engages in strenuous activity, the lungs allow for more air to be sucked in, so that more oxygen will be distributed throughout the body. Smoking does cause the lungs to toughen up, sometimes to the point they are no longer able to expand properly to bring in additional air.
Regular exercise will keep the lungs from becoming too damaged from this occurrence. By working out until air is being breathed in at a rapid pace, the lungs will constantly be forced to adapt. Thus, they will never be able to fully be victimized by the tar that can begin to form on the lungs. This ensures your body will always be capable of breathing in and distributing the oxygen necessary for the body to keep a healthy balance.It goes without saying that no amount of exercise will combat all of the negative effect of smoking. Perhaps the best step you can take is to quit smoking altogether.
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The most important part of the equation, however you look at it, is to stick with it! Exercising is never going to be very easy; that's why it's called working out. There will be times it doesn't seem to fit into your schedule or you believe you won't be able to summon the energy needed to commit to a workout. Always remember you will feel 100 times better once you exercise. The hardest part is just getting started.