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Wildfire, just how do you reckon that the troops got on as far fitness went in days when smoking was all the thing to do. There was less transport and you marched more and longer with heavier loads, and you did all this with a fag stuck in your mouth, lets face they where free and, and if you didn't smoke it was a kin to being queer. You could go into the shops in those days and just buy a single fag, so you had started smoking by the time you had started school. Yet I am still here and fighting fit.

well said Tab, I've smoked from 13 (fag and a match 2p 20 sovereign 18.5p) I ran x country for the regiment and could probably still pass a bft(apfa) if I could be bothered. The lack of fitness these days has more to do with our culture where kids are driven everywhere.

I smoke between 10-20 a day, at this age I can get away with it. I can run 10 miles non stop in less than an hour and a half and I can keep the same pace up. Maybe in a few years I'll regret it.

Some of the major effects of smoking on the body's respiratory and circulatory system are:

High levels of carbon monoxide from smoking reduce the amount of oxygen absorbed into the blood from the lungs.

Carbon monoxide in the blood also reduces the amount of oxygen that is released from the blood into the muscles.

Smoke inhalation has an immediate effect on respiration, increasing airways resistance and therefore reducing the amount of oxygen absorbed into the blood.

Smoking causes chronic (or long-term) swelling of mucous membranes, which also leads to increased airways resistance.

Smoking increases the heart rate for a given level of exercise.



Now think how much better you could do if you stopped smoking. Ill try and find a case study I have of the US Mil and how they examined smoking and physical fitness, basically it was very detrimental.

Oh God, a virtucrat. Hates hunting, hates smoking. But only tobacco, how much you wanna bet? Vegan, anyone? I bet the soldiers will just love those tofu burgers.

To be honest the only reason I have never started smoking is because of the negative impact it may have on my future fitness etc...My dad never smoked and he has just retired from the army after 26 years of service and can still pass the RFL (BFT) for a new entrant (16-25 ior whatever) But if it where me i would quit just because it wouldn't be worth smoking. Obviously I don't have any personal experience of the addiction etc. so sorry about my lack of understaniding in that respect. But from my POV at the moment why start, and if you have started why not try and quit? The positives by far outway the negatives in any respect, but as I say before, I have never smoked so don't know the addiction etc.

Just my 2p. anyways....
Cheers, Gareth

[quote="wildfire213"]in my opinion anyone in the armed forces (even people at desks) should stop smoking before they join because yes it does stunt fitness.[/quote]

I thought for a minute you were going to say it stunts your growth.
Isn't the other "thing" that does that.
I'm trying to think were I saw a picture of a famous climber sitting on top of this mountain enjoying a fag. [Must stop saying fag, or the visitors from the other side of the pond will get the wrong idea].

Undertow, Smoking should be up to the person, and No one else, I am still trying to work out why the government thinks it is bad for you to smoke but fine if you go out and get drunk. A chap who smokes twenty a day is unlikely to go home and beat up his wife and kids or be a danger if he drives. Yet some one that drinks every day is doing more long term damage to his health than a smoker, so why is it wrong for person to smoke yet okay for person to be drunk every day.

snyder wrote:Oh God, a virtucrat. Hates hunting, hates smoking. But only tobacco, how much you wanna bet? Vegan, anyone? I bet the soldiers will just love those tofu burgers.

Its a forum therefore its hard not to be a "virtucrat" as you so nicely put it.

the carbon monoxide in cigarettes atatches itself to the haemoglobin in your red blood cells which mean then can carry less oxygen which mean tada lower fitness, just because you smoke doesnt mean u cannot be fit it just means that you r not as fit as you could be

Wildfire, it sounds like you took your A levels in Anti Smoking campaigns.

Its standard biology syllabus nowdays.

James

I wonder what Hitler called his form of brain washing

Its standard biology syllabus nowdays

I take it they don't mention the Swedish study that discovered you breathe in more carceogenic particles and carbon monoxide sitting in a car driving round a town than you do sitting in a smoky pub? There are many sites on the web which de bunk a lot of the studies into smoking related illness. Most of these point to the combustion engine as being one of the major causes of so called smoking illness's. What do you think the chances of banning those are. Greece is one the countries where any male who does not smoke is viewed as odd yet has one of the lowest cancer rates. I'm no expert but then again neither are most of the "experts" it should be left to personal choice. The argument about the strain on NHS resources is rubbish as smokers pay significantly more tax than non smokers yet drink related illness and injuries cost the NHS far more than anything else. The goverment that seems to be so anti smoking is happy to allow people to use cannabis which is usually smoked and many experts say this has no long term bad effects?

Note to the British: Don't get sucked in by the anti-smoking zealots. This is just one more of those Californian trends that makes me wish we could put an electric fence around the place.