Jon Delaney

Age: 29

Occupation: Receptionist at Body Builders Gym in Los Angeles; lives in Los Angeles.

Sport: Gym-based strength and cardiovascular training.

Smoking history: Started smoking at 16, currently smokes about a pack a day.

Does smoking affect your athletic performance? "I'm sure that smoking affects my [muscle] development. I know muscles need more oxygen, and when you smoke it constricts your vessels, making it harder for the oxygen to get to the cells. So it definitely impairs my ability to do better when it comes to exercising. But I don't know that I feel any effects from it, but I'm sure there are effects. I know the negatives outweigh the benefits."

Do your athletic friends know you're a smoker? "I don't hide it. People do give me a hard time, though. They say, 'You should quit smoking. I can't believe you work at a gym and smoke.' I just kind of toss them off. When it's time, I'll do it."

Have you tried to quit or cut down? "I'm in recovery, so I gave up drugs and alcohol, and started going to the gym. Smoking is like my last vice. I've thought about quitting, because my mom died two years ago. She was a smoker, and she died from lung and brain cancer. So it's on my mind. I would love to quit smoking, but there are factors that keep me from doing it. I'm afraid of gaining weight. Smoking is a big comfort. It's something I do before I eat, after I eat, before I go to the gym, after I go to the gym. It's all habit."

And in the future? "Hopefully, maybe this year I can quit smoking. It needs to be soon. Another thing that makes me seriously think about it is the whole Amy Winehouse thing, that she has early signs of emphysema already. I don't want to be that person. I don't want to be that person with emphysema and cancer."