Faith and Fitness by Kellye WilliamsKellye Davis Williams is a personal trainer who focuses on the health and well being of her clients as well as coaching them to make positive changes that will impact the rest of their lives. She helps them to achieve their health and fitness goals as well as encourages them to strive for and achieve their " life" goals with her message of hope.
Unless otherwise stated, all columns presented here are as seen originally at The Wordsmith Journal Magazine. |
Fitness and Smoking
A recent study found that smoking hampers physical fitness (even in young, fit people) and smokers seem to have lower physical endurance than nonsmokers. Even when smokers want to get fit, the task isn’t always easy. Cigarettes push blood pressure up, increase the heart rate and make coughing and choking a real problem.In essence, you’re poisoning your body with the cigarettes yet expect the same stressed organs to work hard during exercise. This puts a double strain on your heart, blood vessels, pulse, and blood pressure, as well as diminishes the oxygen levels in the blood. Both exercise and smoking affect the same organ systems, but in opposite ways. While smoking decreases lung capacity, exercise increases it. In addition, as smoking increases your risk of having a heart attack, exercise decreases it. And then there’s the issue of phlegm—smoking produces phlegm (which congests the lungs), while exercise breaks it up and rebuilds the lungs.
Smoking decreases the body's ability to absorb oxygen. Even a modest amount of carbon monoxide in the lungs decreases your body’s ability to absorb oxygen. It also decreases the amount of oxygen your body transports to your muscles. Moreover, tar coats the lungs and makes it more difficult to breathe. If that’s not enough, smoking causes a swelling of mucous membranes in the lungs, which also affects breathing. During exercise the heart has to work harder if your smoke. A smoker’s heart rate is elevated. So, when exercise is attempted, the effort seems more arduous and the heart rate speeds quickly. In all, your heart will have to work harder to do the same amount of work a non-smoker does. And, you’ll feel less comfortable doing it. If you’re prone to high blood pressure, smoking makes it worse. You’ll also find that smoking increases your fatigue level during and after your exercise session. Endurance is reduced and physical performance may not improve as much as if you did not smoke.
With all the above negative effects, it’s easy to see that smoking and fitness do not mix. Taper down from the few cigarettes you’re smoking until you can quit completely. You won’t regret it. If you’re a smoker who is ready to start exercising but not quite ready to quit smoking, think about some of the following health benefits of quitting:
Within 20 minutes (of putting down a cigarette) your blood pressure and pulse read “normal."
Within 8 hours the oxygen level in the blood normalizes, carbon monoxide levels go down.
Within 24 hours your risk of heart attack starts to decline.
Within 2 days you can taste food and smell things better.
Within 3 days your lung capacity improves to the point where you can actually breathe better.
Within 3 months your circulation improves and your lung functioning is up by 30 percent.
Within 9 months your lungs are able to clean themselves again and your risk of infection goes down.
Within 1 year your heart disease risk is now half that of a typical smoker’s.
Within 5 years your risk of stoke is close to that of a non-smoker.
Within 10 years your lung cancer death rate is half that of smokers and your risk of other cancers goes down as well.
Within 15 years your heart disease risk is the same as that of a nonsmoker’s.
So, the good news is that you can start reaping health benefits the moment you take that last puff. Think about what you can gain—being able to breath fully again; enjoying the taste and smells around you, having a vibrant skin tone; and having more fun with your exercise program. Once you feel the difference, you’ll wonder why you didn’t stop sooner. Do it today, it’s a choice you won’t regret.
Smoking decreases the body's ability to absorb oxygen. Even a modest amount of carbon monoxide in the lungs decreases your body’s ability to absorb oxygen. It also decreases the amount of oxygen your body transports to your muscles. Moreover, tar coats the lungs and makes it more difficult to breathe. If that’s not enough, smoking causes a swelling of mucous membranes in the lungs, which also affects breathing. During exercise the heart has to work harder if your smoke. A smoker’s heart rate is elevated. So, when exercise is attempted, the effort seems more arduous and the heart rate speeds quickly. In all, your heart will have to work harder to do the same amount of work a non-smoker does. And, you’ll feel less comfortable doing it. If you’re prone to high blood pressure, smoking makes it worse. You’ll also find that smoking increases your fatigue level during and after your exercise session. Endurance is reduced and physical performance may not improve as much as if you did not smoke.
With all the above negative effects, it’s easy to see that smoking and fitness do not mix. Taper down from the few cigarettes you’re smoking until you can quit completely. You won’t regret it. If you’re a smoker who is ready to start exercising but not quite ready to quit smoking, think about some of the following health benefits of quitting:
Within 20 minutes (of putting down a cigarette) your blood pressure and pulse read “normal."
Within 8 hours the oxygen level in the blood normalizes, carbon monoxide levels go down.
Within 24 hours your risk of heart attack starts to decline.
Within 2 days you can taste food and smell things better.
Within 3 days your lung capacity improves to the point where you can actually breathe better.
Within 3 months your circulation improves and your lung functioning is up by 30 percent.
Within 9 months your lungs are able to clean themselves again and your risk of infection goes down.
Within 1 year your heart disease risk is now half that of a typical smoker’s.
Within 5 years your risk of stoke is close to that of a non-smoker.
Within 10 years your lung cancer death rate is half that of smokers and your risk of other cancers goes down as well.
Within 15 years your heart disease risk is the same as that of a nonsmoker’s.
So, the good news is that you can start reaping health benefits the moment you take that last puff. Think about what you can gain—being able to breath fully again; enjoying the taste and smells around you, having a vibrant skin tone; and having more fun with your exercise program. Once you feel the difference, you’ll wonder why you didn’t stop sooner. Do it today, it’s a choice you won’t regret.
Tiffany's Story
As a personal trainer, it brings me so much happiness and fulfillment to see my clients reach their goals! I love to see them transform right in front of my eyes! This transformation is not only physical as they pursue a healthy and fit lifestyle, but I see them transform mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. I love to brag on my clients as they progress and reach more and more of the goals they set for themselves. So much hard work, sacrifice, and dedication goes into this transformation that they experience. My client, Tiffany Jackson, is a perfect example of this! Tiffany has been my client for a year now. She has taken her health and fitness seriously and she is reaping the rewards of her dedication! She rarely misses her scheduled workouts. She is such a huge inspiration to everyone around her! Since she has been training with me she has lost a total of 56 3/4 inches! Her attitude and outlook is incredible and she encourages others in their journey as well. Here is her story in her words.....
"I have never been small or thin. As long as I can remember, I was always the heaviest or one of the heaviest kids in my grade. It was because I never knew how to tell when I was full. I was always eating something. It could be a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll (I love those), a hot dog, a coke, or a bag of chips. I always had to have something to eat after school, no matter what or when I had lunch at school. Because of the habits that I developed at such a young age, I put on weight. By the time I entered college, I decided I was away from all the things that I shouldn’t eat and I was on a campus that was small. We had no shuttle service, so if I was going anywhere I was walking. During my time at college, I did lose weight...around 40 pounds, and I got toned up. That tends to happen when you are constantly moving and walking everywhere. But, I still didn’t eat right. I looked forward to chow hall Sunday lunch, which consisted of the best fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls. (So yummy!) After being away at college, I came home and began working for a bank. Over the next 15 years I put on 100 pounds on top of the over 200 pounds I was already carrying around. I tried several different diets and lost weight but as soon as I would stop those diets, I’d put whatever weight I had l lost, back on, along with a few more pounds. Eventually, I decided enough was enough and I decided to have weight loss surgery a year and a half ago. At my heaviest I was 396.5 pounds. During the first 6 months after surgery, I lost 65 pounds which is great. One day I looked in the mirror and I saw how loose and wiggly my legs were getting and that my tail bone hurt. This was because of muscleloss. I just did not like the way I looked. I noticed that a few friends of mine were going to see a personal trainer, Kellye Davis Williams, and they were losing mega inches and toning up. I also noticed the photos that Kellye posted of the 'before and after', and some of the photos of the exercises they were doing. The one that sticks out in my mind is Kellye standing on a client’s lap while the client did a wall squat! I thought.... 'there’s no way I could do that'! It looked hard! One day I was tired of the leg jiggle and my tail bone hurting when I would get out of a chair, so I worked up the courage to send Kellye a message and ask for her help. During my first workout, I thought.... 'this is not bad. I can do this,no problem.' Then I did my first set of burpees and I almost passed out! I wondered what had I gotten myself into, and I was thanking God I had only paid for one month! Haha! But the more I thought about it, I figured I could do anything for a month! In that month I learned what burpees, mountain climbers, squats, and many other exercises were. The next month I thought....'I will give it another month and see what happens.'
I have now spent 13 months with Kellye. With her help and encouragement I have lost a total of 56 3/4 inches! I will continue with Kellye because she encourages me to do things that I didn’t think were possible, that I didn’t think I could ever do. She pushes me when I need pushing, she will not let me slack off, and she has helped me get strong and sassy! I thank God everyday that I worked up the courage to send Kellye that message."
Why wait and put off getting healthy....inside and out! Getting started is the hardest part! Commit today to pursue a lifestyle that will help you become healthy and strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually! This is God's desire for you!
"I have never been small or thin. As long as I can remember, I was always the heaviest or one of the heaviest kids in my grade. It was because I never knew how to tell when I was full. I was always eating something. It could be a Little Debbie Swiss Cake Roll (I love those), a hot dog, a coke, or a bag of chips. I always had to have something to eat after school, no matter what or when I had lunch at school. Because of the habits that I developed at such a young age, I put on weight. By the time I entered college, I decided I was away from all the things that I shouldn’t eat and I was on a campus that was small. We had no shuttle service, so if I was going anywhere I was walking. During my time at college, I did lose weight...around 40 pounds, and I got toned up. That tends to happen when you are constantly moving and walking everywhere. But, I still didn’t eat right. I looked forward to chow hall Sunday lunch, which consisted of the best fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls. (So yummy!) After being away at college, I came home and began working for a bank. Over the next 15 years I put on 100 pounds on top of the over 200 pounds I was already carrying around. I tried several different diets and lost weight but as soon as I would stop those diets, I’d put whatever weight I had l lost, back on, along with a few more pounds. Eventually, I decided enough was enough and I decided to have weight loss surgery a year and a half ago. At my heaviest I was 396.5 pounds. During the first 6 months after surgery, I lost 65 pounds which is great. One day I looked in the mirror and I saw how loose and wiggly my legs were getting and that my tail bone hurt. This was because of muscleloss. I just did not like the way I looked. I noticed that a few friends of mine were going to see a personal trainer, Kellye Davis Williams, and they were losing mega inches and toning up. I also noticed the photos that Kellye posted of the 'before and after', and some of the photos of the exercises they were doing. The one that sticks out in my mind is Kellye standing on a client’s lap while the client did a wall squat! I thought.... 'there’s no way I could do that'! It looked hard! One day I was tired of the leg jiggle and my tail bone hurting when I would get out of a chair, so I worked up the courage to send Kellye a message and ask for her help. During my first workout, I thought.... 'this is not bad. I can do this,no problem.' Then I did my first set of burpees and I almost passed out! I wondered what had I gotten myself into, and I was thanking God I had only paid for one month! Haha! But the more I thought about it, I figured I could do anything for a month! In that month I learned what burpees, mountain climbers, squats, and many other exercises were. The next month I thought....'I will give it another month and see what happens.'
I have now spent 13 months with Kellye. With her help and encouragement I have lost a total of 56 3/4 inches! I will continue with Kellye because she encourages me to do things that I didn’t think were possible, that I didn’t think I could ever do. She pushes me when I need pushing, she will not let me slack off, and she has helped me get strong and sassy! I thank God everyday that I worked up the courage to send Kellye that message."
Why wait and put off getting healthy....inside and out! Getting started is the hardest part! Commit today to pursue a lifestyle that will help you become healthy and strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually! This is God's desire for you!