Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the world today. The adverse health effects of cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States alone.

Today, almost everyone knows the role that long-term, heavy smoking plays in developing lung cancer and heart disease. What is sometimes overlooked is that it also plays a significant role in damaging dozens of other body systems as well as your overall health.

Apart from the specific damage smoking causes to the lungs, larynx and arteries, smoking also reduces the desire to exercise in most people. This is because many smokers relate smoking to lowering stress. By using a chemical to “lower” stress, your motivation to exercise is reduced. When you lower your oxygen concentration your arteries constrict causing a “smoker’s hack”. This reduces the incentives for healthy exercise even more.

Continue reading »