Aerobic Exercises to Enhance the Lung Functions in Smokers

Smokers know how to breath well. The only problem is, they tend to breath in a potpourri of toxic chemicals when they inhale cigarette smoke. According to a paper entitled "Smoking and Your Lungs" by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, smokers cause their lungs to become less functional by promoting mucus, damaging the lungs' natural cleaning system and reducing the air flow by inducing inflammation. For smokers who want to keep their lungs in tip-top shape, aerobic exercise may be able to mediate some of these effects and strengthen the lungs.

  1. Aerobic Excercise

    • If you smoke and you want to strengthen your lungs, you should engage in aerobic exercises at least three times a week. Aerobic exercise is any exercise that elevates the heart rate and induces deeper breathing. In a study published in the The Journal of Immunology in 2004 by Amy Pastva and a team of researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, moderate aerobic exercise decreased many of the factors that cause lung inflammation in asthmatic mice. Aerobic exercise therefore is very beneficial to the lungs and is should be an integral part of any the life of any smoker who wished to enhance lung function.

    Swimming

    • One of the best aerobic exercises, which also happens to involve rhythmic deep breathing, is the act of swimming. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 1987 by T. L. Clanton and a team of researchers, female competitive swimmers were found to have increased lung capacity as well as lung endurance. Smokers who wish to strengthen and enhance lung function should engage in moderate to high intensity swimming for at least thirty minutes a day, several times a week.

    Running

    • Running is probably the most common aerobic exercise and has been found to have a profound effect on lung functioning. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2004 by E. A. Murphy and a team of researchers from the University of South Carolina, mice that ran on treadmills for one hour a day for six days straight were found to have an increase in natural immune cells that fight lung cancer. Since lung cancer is a common concern for smokers, any smoker wishing to strengthen the lungs would be wise to incorporate a similar routine into his or her life.