Letting your VO2 Max (a measure of cardiovascular fitness) decline is not a good idea. Indeed, it increases your risk of death from all causes worse than taking up smoking.
Improving your VO2 Max improves your lifespan more than giving up smoking (on average).
Watch here for an explanation of the above figure, followed by how to improve your VO2 Max - "the single most important biomarker we have for lifespan."
I don't think people who smoke are idiots (although I hate second-hand smoke). Nicotine is not just an addictive drug, but it also has plenty of positive effects. Life is all about trade-offs. This blog's title is a reference to the fact that many non-smokers judge smokers as idiots, while they (the non-smoker) are doing things just as bad - or worse - for their health. In general, people think where they are on a continuum - exercise, diet, drinking, reading, politics, environmentalism, etc. - is "fine" - people who do more are "fanatics," and the people who do less are "idiots."
I know I thought that way for most of my life. It doesn't lead to happiness. It is better, at least for me, to understand that no one has free will and that we are all just following our programming. Your mileage may vary.
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