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Smoking & Physical Activity

  • Smoking keeps you from reaching your highest level of athletic performance.

    • Smoking slows your reaction time.

    • Smoking lessens your stamina.

  • Smoking causes coughing and shortness of breath.

  • Smoking decreases the oxygen carrying capacity of your blood.

    • This causes the heart to work harder and increases your heart rate.

    • The muscles have less oxygen and don’t function as well.

  • People who smoke have more colds, sore throats and respiratory infections each year.

  • Smoking delays healing of many common sports injuries.

  • Smoking during the teenage years slows the rate that the lungs grow.

  • Smoking during adolescence causes deficits in lung function consistent with early signs of obstructive airway disease.

 

Reference

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Research and Data:  Factsheets:  Smoking and Decreased Physical Performance.

 

This information has been approved by Amy Lukowski, PsyD (August 2015).