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).