Cigar smoking and staying in shape

[bolivr]

Some good information here guys Thank you. My experience over the past 15 years and staying in pretty good shape is that my 1 or 2 cigars a week have absolutely zero bad effect on my health. Shortness of breath while running has always been due to a mild infection.

[markmurase]

Cigars are healthy… One must feed the mind and the soul to stay fit.

-the Rev. Piggy

Can't argue with that logic

[Guest rob]

Balance is key IMO. Anything in excess is harmful - including exercise.

I try to balance my diet, my exercise and my indulgences.

I train at the gym 3 to 4 sessions a week

Play 18 holes of golf twice a week

Eat a takeaway dinner (with higher than usual fat, and calorie levels) once a week

One beer, one glass of wine, and one serve of spirit a day.

2 coffees a day

1 cigar a week in winter

1 cigar a day in summer

Sit on my arse while the sun is shining - never!

[Hash]

I go to the Gym 5 days a week, I smoke a cigar once a week, so far so good.

[maduro]

Lift heavy weights four days per week.

Kettlebell swings twice a week for cardio.

Walk the equivalent of 10 km per day Monday to Friday.

Kung fu lessons twice a week.

Generally in good health and good shape, for a 45 year old.

Cigars around two or three per week weather permitting.

No noticeable adverse side effects.

Brother rmill3r Your shortness of breath was probably a temporary inconvenice.

Peace.

[Ghabanos]

Well, let me start off by saying I'm a gym rat, I was a certified personal trainer for 2 years, until I started my own business... When I'm not at work I'm either in the gym lifting, or at home smoking cigars...

I'm 5'9, 205 lbs and around 7% body fat... I've been working out on and off for the past 5 years... I typically smoke 3-4 nights out of the week.

I run 3 days a week, approximately 3 km (Short interval, high intensity ie, sprint for 1 minute, then walk for 2 and repeat)

Mainly it all comes down to diet, how frequent you exercise and how hard you push yourself. You don't typically inhale cigars, the way you would a cigarette or some other substances... So theoretically, it wont affect your lung capacity and endurance that much.

However, if you're smoking 3-4 cigars at a time, 7 days a week, I'm sure it will have some impact... .Moderation is key, I drink, I smoke and I eat crappy food.. Just not every day..

Go to the gym, lift heavy ass weight, focus on your rest times between sets, turn lifting into cardio with short rests (30 seconds max)... and when you feel tired, keep pushing.... Heavy weight is key, if you can push more then 7 reps, up your weight. this will help with endurance in the long run...

Go for a light jog 2-3 days a week, and set a goal for yourself, choose a landmark along your route, and each week try and run past that, even if its only 10 steps past, you've made progress.. You'll start seeing results and feel better within a matter of weeks, just keep in mind, it doesn't happen overnight, and you need to put in the hard work! nothing comes easy!

Perfect advice.

I'm not in 100% great shPe yet but went from 272 to 226 in last year.

Sprints (HIIT)

Weights - compound movement exercises

Big fan of squats. Lunges. Pull ups. Dips. Push-ups. Burpees. And variations of these

And I play a good level of intensity tennis 3-6 hrs a week

I probably still smoke too much for my own good

[joeypots]

I do a cross fit and I ride my bike. I try to put a good sweat on 5 or 6 times a week. I smoke two or three cigars a week. Cigar smoking has nor affected my stamina in any way that I can detect. Las week I lost ll of my gas during a work out and was pretty low for three days. Weed pollen was rated very high on my weather app. I have noticed that pollen storms affect me much more as I grow older. Ya might check it out.

[NastyPirate]

So I've been trying to stay in (generally) good shape for the past year or two. Lately I've really upped that and have been lifting weights, running, and swimming on a regular routine basis. Now, clearly, smoking anything isn't going to be good for someone trying to stay healthy/in shape, but we pick and choose our poisons and I happen to like a good cigar and whisky a few nights a week.

I was going for my usual run yesterday and I had to stop way shorter than I normally do because I found myself running out of breath quicker and--I don't know how else to put this--"sharper" than usual. Like I was really struggling to get good, deep breaths in and it truly concerned me.

I also think that I'm coming off of the tail end of a minor sickness, so I think that's actually more of the reason for my shortness of breath (at least for right now), because I also was feeling mucus building up while I was running that made the breathing even more difficult.

That being said, for those of you who are healthy and in shape, what do you do to counteract your smoking habit? Obviously ditching cigars entirely is 100% the correct answer to staying healthy, but I'm just not willing to do that right now--I like them too much. Any exercises or routines you regularly do to balance your habit?

I generally have 3 cigars per day. I do P90X six days per week, and have for 5 years. I eat about 95% healthy. I take no medications and my BP is that of a 35-year old. I have some days that are more of a struggle than others, but find that having eaten non-whole wheat the night before is the reason. Its all about the genes and the diet.

I am 65 years of age.

[mash]

I generally have 3 cigars per day. I do P90X six days per week, and have for 5 years. I eat about 95% healthy. I take no medications and my BP is that of a 35-year old. I have some days that are more of a struggle than others, but find that having eaten non-whole wheat the night before is the reason. Its all about the genes and the diet.

I am 65 years of age.

Wow, that's impressive. Good for you.

[JHands]

Nastypirate - pics of your 65 year old 6 pack or I don't believe you!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dowjr1]

No one can tell you over a computer what caused your shortness of breath, but it was possibly viral. Sinus inflammation and drainage does not cause pulmonary edema. If it persists, make sure you see your doctor and get looked at. It will likely clear as you move further away from your infection.

You are telling me sinus drainage cannot cause inflammation/fluid/congestion in the lungs? I am no doctor, and don't know if you are, but I can say with absolute certainty sinus drainage can absolutely cause those things. As for that being his issue...perhaps I should have put the word "possibly" in there. Make you feel better Mr. viral specialist?

[mash]

Easy.

The OP said he had more than usual shortness of breath when he was exercising, and you told him you knew what his problem was. You sounded very sure.

My concern was that he would take what you said as certain, and potentially ignore something else or more serious. I'm sure you were only trying to be helpful. So was I.

To answer your question, I am a doctor. Here's why I reacted to what you said, and why it is not wise to diagnose an issue like this over the internet:

1) Sinus drainage does not cause pulmonary edema. Period. No matter how sure you are.

2) A viral upper airway infection could cause more shortness of breath while exercising. So could pneumonia, allergies, atrial fibrillation, a pulmonary embolism, and asthma among other things.

3) Something non-serious will likely be transient. If not, the person should see their own doctor. The OP wisely wasn't asking for a diagnosis.

Let's get this back on topic.

[BehikeLover2]

Well "round" is a shape too so keep that in mind.

[littlepea]

Smoking cigars should not directly affect your ability to stay in shape...if it is, you're doing it wrong. Sure you inhale some smoke passively, but you'd have to be smoking a hell of a lot for it to cause respiratory related pathologies that can be caused by smoking (emphysema/chronic bronchitis). These conditions absolutely would affect your exercise capacity, but are unlikely to be caused my moderate cigar smoking. The only other way I see cigars affecting your ability to stay in shape medically is through cancers but that's a can of worms I'd rather not open.

I play football 3 times per week, tennis twice a week, and weightlift 3-4 times per week...I have smoked cigars for a while now and I am in the best form of my life across the board. Resting heart rate is around 48 and I'd bet good money my lung function tests haven't suffered. Cigars don't affect exercise capacity.

And to weigh in on the above argument (though mash has summed it up very well)...it's pretty irresponsible to diagnose anyone's issues on the Internet, health care professional or not. Sure use some clinical reasoning to discuss the matter, but bottom line and first piece of advice should always be so go and see your GP.

[paulF]

Brilliant advice all over. Moderation and timing are key and that's if you are after keeping fit. If you are competing on the other hand, you might have to go down on frequency of smoking and drinking but not by too much really.

Very subjective matter as mentioned before; genes, conditioning, current fitness levels and diet play a massive role in it.

PS: Love the look i get on people's faces when they ask how i'm going to celebrate after running a race when they here Rum and Cigars! Priceless!

[PigFish]

Mind you, perhaps it'd be good for me to stop talking about something that I have absolutely 0 authority in

… so, you will be doing very little posting going forward then…?

-LOL -Piggy

[canadianbeaver]

Since I got the hound I now get lots of outdoor play but I am no fitness girl I'll tell you that. I am not into health food or any particular lack of snacks, in fact I am an amazing baker. Matthew and I smoke a couple a day on the weekend, me, one a day during the week.

I watch my diet and health and make sure my kids are safe and healthy.

But I may get hit by a duck hunter's stray bullet tomorrow or get hit by lightening.

You never know.

[Maplepie]

… so, you will be doing very little posting going forward then…?

Ray... We all have no idea what we're doing. Just some more than others...

Now back to making Cod stuffed Ham...............

[PigFish]

Ray... We all have no idea what we're doing. Just some more than others...

Now back to making Cod stuffed Ham...............

… I tell everyone upfront! Don't listen to me!!! -LOL -R

[CanuckSARTech]

I am in no where near the shape that I need to be right now. It's been a hell of a year. I could count on one hand the amount of times I've been to the gym for a structured workout. That said, I have been trying to do plenty of bike trips and other outdoors activities with the wife and kids, due to the amount of time I've been preoccupied with all the other stuff since the start of the year.

Unfortunately, as much as I want and need to get better jacked again, it's been the one negotiable thing that I've been cutting out of my tight time schedule to make up for the other stuff needing to get done. Time with my family has suffered enough - I'm not willing to suffer further hours for the days/weeks that I have at home with them.

All that said, be it cigars or exercise - I believe someone said something similar earlier, it's not just your physical health, but your mental and emotional well-being that all need to be in balance as well. I'd gladly trade sitting for two hours on the back deck or in the hot tub, smoking a cigar or two, and discussing the day's/week's events with my wife and/or kids, rather than sweating it out in a gym so I may look better in the mirror or run a slightly better 5k/10k time. And it's not about taking the "easy" way out by not going to a gym. It's about keeping the balance with my family.

Granted, with a slight change at work coming this fall, I'll thankfully be able to devote some massive times to the gym again, while not sacrificing with the family much.

[ramon_cojones]

I work out 3-4x a week with heavy weights with compound and isolated movements. I do some calisthenics mainly about 400 pullups a week with about 30 muscle-ups a week and I always reward myself with cigars multiple times a week. I eat pretty well, am in good shape and have never found a cigar prior to working out to affect my breathing. In fact I would go so far to say that I don't think I could train any harder if I stopped smoking, which would never happen anyway because it's therapy for my mind.

Enjoy yourself bottom line.