Dear dailymuscle,
I’m 21 years old and trying to quit doing the unhealthy things i do to my body and here’s my problem. I started smoking and drinking a couple of months ago (vodka), and last night was one of the nights I went overboard and drank way too much. I hate the terrible, worthless feeling I get the next day as I don’t feel like training at the gym today due to this feeling. I just feel like staying in bed all day..
I know this is a stupid question but would smoking and drinking affect my gym training (i know it affects cardio cause it screws up your lungs)?
~the thirsty trainer
Dear thirsty trainer,
Thanks for writing in.
Drinking and smoking while trying to achieve practically any fitness goal are the exact opposites and dont mix.
See this image of a dissected smoker’s lung. It’s not pretty and pink (okay, no way can it be pretty la) like a normal lung, but it is black, tarry and shrunken with tumors on it. Lovely. Go have a smoke.
Also, social drinking can compromise your goals especially if fatloss is one of them. I’ve read that the liver can take days to get rid of the alcohol in ones body and so one of its main jobs of filtering fat comes to a standstill and it packs it away for processing later (which never comes of course).
Still not convinced? Okay try this - have a can of beer (or any other alcoholic beverage) just before your workout and let me know if you have a productive workout.
It’s a matter of priorities, especially at your young age of which path you want to choose. Many people think that they can counteract their smoking and drinking habits by doing enough exercise, not realising that they are only fooling themselves of the harm they are doing to themselves.
There is research out there that says alcohol in moderation has benefits, but I would not recommend anyone that doesn’t drink to start solely for these benefits. Hey, Schwarzenegger smokes cigars too, however, I believe that they are the exceptions. I’d rather stay away from it if I were you.
You know what the right decision is - otherwise you wouldn’t be asking about it here ;)
Good luck!
Your friend and coach,
DM
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, smoking is dangerous. Reduce your breath capability and so reduce your performance. Alcohol, hm… get fatter? Wonder why beer caused most people to get big belly? and they called it beer belly.
hmm i love ur site. wud be comin back more often, need to gain some muscles :D yay! i dun smoke/drink.. so no worries for me :) cheers!
p/s how bt wine? i tot a lil bit of wine’s good for the heart?
sniff… I smoke a lot too … hard to quit =.=
Hi all.. I used to smoke too, about 2 paCKS A DAY. Hardcore type. No matter how sick I get from flu or whatever, I keep on smoking. Until I cough real bad and had to choose between life and no life, coz I was coughing all night and could not sleep and wake up like a zombie, unable to function… for almost a month! Iamgine that. So i decided to quit until I get better for good. Adn I did it for 2 weeks, from then on, I decided to carry on with my QUIT, until near almost 2 years.
Quiting smoking is an everyday battle. One of the things I exp I think is shortness of breathe even after quiting smoking, perhaps too hard core, or I am just mind f**king myself la. But the fact is that shortness of breath is irreversable(there is aname to this desease for smokers). Just imagine that u can’t seem o to get enough air with every breath u take,… forever, its scary.
Do some research.. my fav has got to be http://www.about.com. Search for QUIT SMOKING they have tons of info.. GOOD LUCK and continue gyming
no strong determination 2 quit hehehe hence making me turn to ciggy whenever i got bored
So you smoke out of boredom? Geez. Find something else to do la.
yea.. find something else to do! One strategy I found online for when each time u feel the tendency to light up is H.A.L.T.. basically u run thru this and see which state u are in now and combat those states positively. HALT means:
H = Are u hungry? hunger could be the trigger
A = Are u angry? upset in anyway? go take a walk!
L = Are u in anwyay Lonely, or feeling BORED?
T = Tired, sleepy? get some rest!
By going thru these steps u will how shall I say, have a better understanding of what triggers…. oh bollocks, I beter give u the link too! Cool tools
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/cravingsandurges/a/halt.htm
hehe should I opt for more action in bed? I find that I dun need 2 smoke after that … it’s decreasing anyway from 2 packs to 1 pack a day now … but thanks guys :)
Just wait until you get older. Those drinks and smokes may make you sluggish initially, but when you age, they may cost you a couple of days of training (recouperation time).
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