My son is 31, smokes 20 a day - but he can still tab the mountains of Afghanistan with full pack and SA80. Which is more than most "fit" 30 year old civvies could manage.How come so many regular soldiers smoke when they say smoking is so bad for fitness?
Many who start smoking after joining the military start either out of boredom or for social acceptance. I am sure you have heard the phrase, "hurry up and wait", and that phrase applies in so many ways in the military. This is especially true in AIT or tech school after Basic where you will attend school daily to learn your job for basically eight hours with five minute breaks at the end of each hour to help keep you awake and give you a bathroom break. For this reason the Air Force banned the use of tobacco on base at all its Air Training Command bases a number of years ago to help discourage young members from starting to smoke. Then there are those times when you are actually on the job later where you will have long, extended periods of being busy sometimes followed by maybe short periods of little or nothing to do but you can't leave or go any place for lack of time to get there and get back in time.
Deployment itself brings a whole host of problems and people stationed at FOBs out in the middle of nowhere with little or nothing to do much of the time are faced with long periods of boredom interspersed by intense work periods and maybe even patrols and combat situations. Places like this are hundreds, if not thousands of miles from many of the things you enjoy every day and take for granted.
At the same time the military puts a lot of emphasis on fitness. Many of those in it work out basically five days per week to maintain a certain level of fitness while also still smoking. This of course makes it somewhat harder to maintain that level of fitness and you don't see near the number of chain smokers in the military that you had thirty years ago.
Back then it was alright to smoke in most work centers, buildings, and offices and not unusual for a person to smoke a pack or two per day. Most smokers don't inhale as much now and don't smoke but half a pack maybe at the most per day if that. The restrictions on it and the various anti-smoking campaigns that they have had as well as the greater emphasis on fitness really discourages heavy smoking and many military members have quit to maintain that fitness level but some still smoke out of boredom or are light, social or recreational smokers.How come so many regular soldiers smoke when they say smoking is so bad for fitness?I've been smoking for about 10 years, I only smoke about two cigarettes a day, and I even have a cigar once or twice a month. However, I also lift weights and jog for a hour and half day, have 7% body fat and can bench press about 275lbs.
Smoking too much can really damage your health, but everything we do can damage are health when not done in moderation.
If you do smoke do it in moderation and try not to inhale too much. They say that Inhaling smoke into your throat and lungs is most unhealthiest part of smoking.
For many it has nothing to do with addiction. It's because smoking is a social thing, whether out of boredom, anxiety, stress, etc. I can smoke a pack a day over the weekend and then sit them down and not pick them up for 6 months. Is it bad for you? Yes. Is everything bad for you? Yes. Every day they come out with something new that we've been eating or drinking for years that's going to "kill us" and I've heard about plenty of joggers die from a heart attack while jogging. Runners who are "fit" end up with bad knees and back problems, so "fit" and healthy are different things and are unrelated.How come so many regular soldiers smoke when they say smoking is so bad for fitness?Because most soldiers are only young lads and the smoking can take years to start affecting your lungs to any noticeable affect. It will catch you up but maybe not until your into your 30's.
My first ever section commander's motto was, "smoking is bad for you but running is good for you. So, do more running than smoking and you're doing more good than bad". Obviously not true and said tongue in cheek but he was one of the fittest guys i ever worked withHow come so many regular soldiers smoke when they say smoking is so bad for fitness?
They shouldn't
1) It harms the soldier's health.
2) It reduces the lung performance and thus endurance
3) It's highly visible at night (pipes only when lighted)
4) Lighting a pipe or cigarette degrades the soldier's natural eye vision for up to 30 minutes
5) It's extremely easy to smell, much easier than sweat or differences in diet.
But My uncle is in the army and he work's with them all Everyday / Week / Year their will be someone he knows might die, Or sometimes When he is in the Wrong Place at the wrong time He Might Evan See is mates get shot dead or Evan Bowen up By a grenade etc
I had a cigar in my mouth both times the chopper I was in back in Nam got shot down , and when I was driving an 18 wheeler and was hit near head on by a drunk driver , so I am not letting a little ole cigar worry me none.How come so many regular soldiers smoke when they say smoking is so bad for fitness?
Addiction. Smoking destroys your endurance. Sure, you can lift weights and get muscular while smoking, but you won't be running any marathons.
It's more like it reduces your wind some. A guy who's in good health and getting plenty of exercise is still going to be a lot fitter and more muscular than most of us.
I smoke a pack of reds a day but also run no less then 7 miles a day on top of daily pt.
That's becasue it takes about 5 years of twenty a day b4 it starts to catch up with you .. keep smoking and you'll be knackered by the time you're forty
And they would be even fitter if they did not smoke.
People deal with stress and anxiety differently.
Nicotine addiction
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