Whether it’s just one or two a day or only when you’re socialising with friends, over time you could be smoking a lot more than you realise.
You also might believe that because you’re not smoking heavily – or even every day – that the impact and harm won’t be as bad as if you were smoking all the time.
But when it comes to light or social smoking, it all adds up.
Every cigarette impacts your physical health and appearance
Most people are aware of the more serious health risks that comes from regular long-term smoking, but did you know that every cigarette also:
Makes you age faster
Can turn your fingers and nails yellow
Stains your teeth
Weakens your hair and nails
Leaves your skin looking tired and dull
Can cause your hair to thin and fall out
Makes skin conditions such as acne or psoriasis worse
If you’re also into your fitness and keeping active, even light and social smoking will impact the progress you’re making.
Although it won’t be immediate, over time you’ll soon start to notice things like:
- Breathlessness
- Coughing during certain activities
- Reduced endurance
- Increased heart rate
- Higher risk of injury
-
Slower recovery after exercise, making it harder to train consistently
Even though it only feels like a few here and there, every cigarette affects your physical appearance and impacts your fitness.
The good news is that it’s not too late to stop and the benefits will be immediate.
Although it might feel like you don’t need help because you only smoke a few a day or when you’re socialising, free support and advice is available to you.
Ellis’s story
Ellis became a social smoker at the age of 18 or 19 when he was on a night out. As a semi-professional footballer, he soon noticed that smoking socially was impacting his performance on the pitch and overall health, which led him to quitting.
Now his health and fitness are so much better, meaning he can now play a full 90-minute match and get back to enjoying training with his teammates, going to the gym and running regularly.
