Smoking regularly may not only affect fitness levels, it may also make you less physically active and decrease your motivation, a new study has warned.
Resaerchers found that smokers are less physically active, lack motivation and are more likely to suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The study, led by Dr Karina Furlanetto, from Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil, is the first to show that smokers are less physically active than non-smokers.
As many as 60 smokers and 50 non-smokers were asked to wear a pedometer for a minimum of 12 hours per day, over 6 days. The results showed that smokers walked less on a daily basis.
When their capacity to take long breaths was tested, their lung function was found to be reduced and this impacted their ability to exercise.
When smokers were asked to rate their own health-related quality of life they reported feeling more tired, and lacked the motivation to change their inactive behaviour.
"To our knowledge, this is the first study that has demonstrated a reduction in the objectively measured level of physical activity in daily life of adult smokers compared with non-smokers," said Furlanetto.
"Besides presenting poorer lung function, exercise capacity, quality of life and symptoms of anxiety and depression, smokers also walked less than non-smokers in daily life," Furlanetto said.
The study was published in the journal Respirology.
