Advocacy

The only thing standing between you and a healthier alternative to smoking is the federal government – and that is crazy.

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Wanna buy a gun? No problem. Want to get high and buy some weed? We got you covered. How about fast-food and GMO products? Of course. Guns? What caliber you want!? In America, you can buy plenty of dangerous products, products that can not only kill you but also other people as well, so why does vaping come under such scrutiny?

Think about it: you have a safer alternative to smoking that doesn’t cost the government anything. It works. Millions of people have stopped smoking because of it, and, yet, we’re about to see the entire industry destroyed by the PTMA guidelines which kick into effect in May 2020.

Trump could come to rescue, as he did with the flavor bans (at least at a federal level), but I’m not holding my breath. The wolf is at the door now. It’s only a matter of time before ALL the products you know and love will cease to exist (in the USA, at least) forevermore. And the people responsible for this could not give two sh*ts about your health – it’s all a big con, designed to get you back on the smokes or using a Big Pharma-backed product.

Why? Money. Want more? Check out the Master Settlement Agreement. It’s not about kids or your health or concerns over safety – it’s about money and control over who gets to distribute nicotine. The old guard – Big Tobacco, Big Pharma – or independent, small businesses like the places you’ve bought from for the past several years or more.

And this is total BS. And if you don’t believe me, just have a think about Mike Bloomberg…

Mike Bloomberg’s Anti-Vape? Nope, He’s Anti-Competition… 

Mike Bloomberg hates vaping. He hates it so much he has pledged nearly a billion dollars to ensure that it is wiped off the face of the planet. Why? The official line is that he cares about kids and wants everybody to be healthy (and vote for him). But the actual reason is that he’s an investor in a vape product that has the potential to double or triple his investment, providing the vaping market as we know ceases to exist.

And that vape is called HALE, and it looks very much like a JUUL.

That is why Mike Bloomberg is anti-vaping. It’s not because he cares, it’s because he has a dog in the fight and he doesn’t like competition. In fact, Bloomberg isn’t anti-vaping, he’s anti-competitive. He wants the market cleansed of actually useful vape products to make way for his FDA-approved vape product.

He just needs all you plebs to you have all your other options taken away first. Then – and only then – will a sub-par vape product, such as the ones currently approved inside the PTMA, stand a chance of actually competing and making sales. Right now, no one would use these devices. The only way they’d make a dent in the current market is if people were desperate.

In order for “these” FDA-approved vapes to succeed, therefore, the powers that be need an extinction-level event to happen that will wipes away all the products we know, love, and use. And that event is, of course, the PTMA.

Vape Juice Made By People That Love Vaping

When you buy vape juice, quality vape juice from a US brand, you know you’re getting a good product. The product is made by vapers for vapers. Inside our store, we ONLY stock US-made vape juice that we ourselves use (more or less exclusively). We price it low in order to help our readers get access to affordable, high-quality vape juice in a range of flavor options.

But once the PTMA comes into effect, our store will die. And so too will this site, a site I’ve spent the last 5+ years building from nothing to almost a million monthly readers. And for what? So douchebags like Mike Bloomberg can get rich by hocking an inferior product to the masses? It makes LITERALLY no sense.

This entire debacle – and controversy around vaping – started with fake news. There was a spurt of deaths, although these were linked to illegal THC carts for JUUL devices. Both the CDC and most US experts have now back-tracked on the claim that vaping can kill you, but the damage has already been done – millions of current smokers are now missing out on vaping because they’ve been lied to by their government and the media.

To say this is a disgrace would be an understatement.

It’s a travesty that, in this day and age, with all the media we have access to, the US federal government and old, white billionaires like Bloomberg and Bill Gates and their PR stooges can subvert actual scientific evidence and data and alter opinion across the entire country to serve their own agendas.

And if you think these are just the ravings of a mad man, check out what Public Health England had to say about the safety of vaping in its new 2020 report.

And if you don’t want to read that, I’ll give you a quick breakdown of its main points below:

• vaping regulated nicotine products has a small fraction of the risks of smoking, but this does not mean it is safe
• smokers should be encouraged to try regulated nicotine vaping products along with smoking cessation medications and behavioral support. This will greatly increase their chances of successfully stopping smoking
• people who have never smoked should be encouraged not to smoke and not to vape
• vapers should be encouraged to use regulated nicotine products only and stop smoking completely

And, guess what, the science doesn’t change when you fly in a plane over the sea to another country. What Public Health England reports applies to the USA, just as it does to the UK. It’s just that the UK has a lot more integrity when it comes to actually caring about the health and well-being of its citizens.

You honestly couldn’t make this shit up…

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The results from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Use Survey are in, and they are extremely alarming for those of us in the vaping industry. Among high school students, a shocking 27.5 percent report regular e-cigarette use. A further 10.5 percent of middle school students report regular vaping. That’s a total of 5 million underaged vapers in the United States as compared to 3.6 million – an already astonishing number – in 2018.

The epidemic of new nicotine users in schools undermines the core goal of the vaping industry, which is to render combustible cigarettes obsolete by transitioning all adult smokers to an alternative that’s equally satisfying but less harmful. It also threatens the future existence of the industry – and adults’ continued ability to access the products that keep them off of cigarettes – as politicians from both parties have repeatedly threatened a blanket ban of virtually all vaping products in an attempt to curb teen vaping.

In January 2020, the federal government finally arrived at a potential compromise by announcing a ban of all cartridge and pod flavors except tobacco and menthol for the closed vaping systems that teens generally use. Among underage vapers, closed systems – particularly JUUL – are the most commonly used vaping products. The ban does not apply, however, to the bottled e-liquids that most adults use. While many adults do use JUUL and will be unhappy about the reduced availability of flavors, most vapers will likely agree that the flavor ban accomplishes its goal of making vaping less appealing to teens without making it less appealing to adults.

It is our hope that the flavor ban will finally put a dent in the underage vaping epidemic and that vape shops such as The Vape Bar can continue to survive and thrive. True vaping industry professionals know, however, that we cannot remain idle. The government can and will regulate the entire vaping industry out of existence if the teen vaping trend doesn’t begin showing signs of improvement immediately. We need to play an active role in keeping e-cigarettes out of kids’ hands while ensuring that adults can still get the products they depend upon.

This is how your local vape shops work to stop teen vaping.

Industry-Leading Standards for Age Checking

Vape shops have some of the world’s most stringent standards for age verification. It’s likely that most teens buy vaping products from gas stations, convenience stores and online sellers that don’t check buyers’ ages. Gas stations and convenience stores often get very busy during peak hours, and most of the products that those retailers sell aren’t age-restricted. The employees at such stores simply aren’t always in the habit of checking ID before every sale – but we are.

Vape shops operate completely differently from other sellers of nicotine products. Every product that a vape shop sells is age-restricted. We don’t admit customers under 21, and we check ID on every sale, regardless of the product being purchased.

Secure Storage of Nicotine Products

A good vape shop always stores nicotine products behind the counter or in locked displays. That’s not just to prevent shoplifting; it’s also to ensure that minors have no physical access to the products. Do you have a local convenience store that displays products like disposable vape pens next to the dodgy energy supplements and no-brand CBD gummies at the front of the store? If you’re looking for the reason why teens in your community are vaping, stores like that are the first places where you should look. This is another case where vape shops simply know better because we don’t sell any products that aren’t age-restricted.

Tasteful Advertising for an Adult Audience

Every business wants to attract new customers, and advertising is the way to do that. Although most vaping products contain no tobacco, vape shops are subject in most states to the same advertising restrictions that tobacco companies face. We’re required to utilize advertising channels that aren’t geared toward minors, which is exactly as it should be.

For online vaping brands, though, the story is a little different.

The vaping industry – particularly for companies that primarily sell their products online – is insanely competitive. The differences between various brands’ products are often quite small. To break away from the pack, an online vaping brand needs to appeal to the buyer’s emotions and establish a unique brand identity. Sometimes, though, brands go too far in their attempts to get ahead. In a lengthy report, researchers from Stanford have alleged that JUUL hired social media influencers extensively during the brand’s launch and that the company specifically targeted youthful customers. JUUL, as mentioned above, is almost exclusively the brand that teen vapers use. If not for JUUL, most of those teens would not be using nicotine at all.

Mindful Community Stewardship

The biggest difference between local vape shops and the big online vaping brands is the fact that vape shops are members of their communities. Vape shop owners know their customers and are personally invested in ensuring that their customers’ children aren’t using nicotine products.

Put differently, a conversation that begins with “Did my kid get this from your store?” is one that no vape shop owner ever wants to have.

Vape shop owners are the same as other small business owners. We want to look our customers in the eye and serve our communities to the best of our ability. Having a few extra dollars in the register at the end of the day is definitely not worth the cost of selling vaping products to teens.

Every person who vapes has an addiction that might last a lifetime. We’re all glad to have discovered a less harmful alternative to smoking, but most of us would prefer never to have tried nicotine in the first place. The last thing we want is for a child to suffer the same fate.

About the Author

Robert Conway is the owner of The Vape Bar Portland. Oklahoma City’s premier vape shop, The Vape Bar is veteran owned and operated and prides itself on maintaining one of the largest selections of e-liquid and vape gear in the OKC area.

How does vaping affect your heart and circulation compared to smoking? A new study highlights one of the #1 key benefits of switching to vaping…

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In light of everything that is happening in America right now, you could be forgiven for thinking that vaping is no better than mainlining heroin into your eyeballs. But as is often the case, thanks to a heady mix of lobbyist group interference and general misinformation, things aren’t always as they’re portrayed in the mainstream media.

Over in the UK, the government and national health agencies – the NHS, Public Health England, and The Royal College of Physicians – have been pro-vaping since day one. You can buy ecigs in hospitals and doctors will happily assist current smokers to make the switch. And the reason? Because vaping is 97% safer than smoking.

And best of all, the UK has the science to back up this support, as well as record-low smoking rates across the board. If you’re worried about switching to vaping, do not take what you’re being told by the MSM as gospel. There is a political war going on in the US now over vaping, and it has nothing to do with your health and/or well being – it’s about money.

How Does Vaping Affect Your Heart?

Every week, new stories come out about vaping being worse for you than smoking. These studies often rejigged and taken out of context, are great for clickbait articles on sites like MailOnline. But as most will now know, clickbait articles are seldom factual. Instead, they go for SHOCK and AWE in order to get your click and convert your traffic by showing you ads.

For instance, a recent study by the University of Dundee, which looked at how switching from smoking to vaping affected heart health, concluded with some very positive facts about why all smokers should be looking to switch to vaping. During the study, the heart health of the subjects improved (within a month) once they’d switched to vaping.

On top of this, their blood vessel health improved too. By how much? Well, the average heart health score for a non-smoker is 7.7 and the average for a smoker is 5.5. Once the subjects had switched to vaping, their heart health score went from around 5.5 on average to 6.7 on average – within one point of a non-smoker. And this happened INSIDE A MONTH.

“This represents a significant improvement in vascular health. We also found that in the short term at least, regardless of whether the e-cigarette does or does not contain nicotine, a person will see vascular health improvements compared to smoking a traditional cigarette,” said the study’s lead author, Professor Jacob George.

How Did The Study Work?

Obviously, when you’re performing a study such as this you require stringent methods to obtain the best possible results. This study features 114 participants with no history of heart disease. They all smoked at least 15 cigarettes a day. The 114 subjects were then split into three groups:

#1) 40 That Continued To Smoke As Normal
#2) 37 People That Switched To Vaping (w/ Nicotine)
#3) 37 People That Switched To Vaping (But With No Nicotine)

The only group that saw no change in their heart and blood vessel health, unsurprisingly, was Group #1 – the smoking test group. Groups #2 and #3 all saw dramatic improvements to their heart and blood vessel health.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said,

“Our hearts and blood vessels are the hidden victims of smoking. Every year in the UK, 20,000 people die from heart and circulatory disease caused by smoking cigarettes – that’s more than 50 people a day, or two deaths every hour. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health.

“This study suggests that vaping may be less harmful to your blood vessels than smoking cigarettes. Within just one month of ditching tobacco for electronic cigarettes, people’s blood vessel health had started to recover.”

How To Switch From Smoking To Vaping

Facts are one thing, but actually successfully switching from smoking to vaping can be extremely challenging – there’s just so much choice and information to get your head around. I know this first hand and it is one of the #1 reasons why I started VapeBeat in the first place: to help new vapers make the switch over to vaping successfully.

If you’re a current smoker that is looking to quit, my advice to you would be to start with something simple – a good disposable vape is perhaps the easiest of all ways to do this. I’m a seasoned veteran when it comes to vaping and even I still use disposable vapes from time to time. My current #1 picks for the best disposable vapes are listed below:

If you want something that is still simple to use, but is refillable, so you can add your own E Juice to it, I’d start off with a simple pod vape like the UWELL Caliburn – it’s small, lightweight, and it draws just like a cigarette. The UWELL Caliburn is a great little device that is loved and used by millions of vapers. This is why it has sat in such a prominent position inside our Guide To The Best Pod Vapes.

All our other #1 recommended pod vapes are listed in the table below:

Just remember: when you’re starting a new habit like vaping, it pays to keep it simple. You can get a more advanced device, like a tank and a vape mod, once you’ve successfully transitioned away from smoking in full.

One of our closest allies and good friends, Paul Freeman, owner of Freeman Vape Juice is setting up a dedicated advocacy group to save vaping – and we need your support

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In the US, vaping hangs in the balance. Trump is on the verge of banning flavors, JUUL is being sued out of existence (no bad thing), and hundreds of thousands of jobs and businesses hang in the balance. As a community, we have to come together to save this technology, a technology that has saved hundreds of thousands of lives in just a few short years.

In order to rally support, raise awareness, and give vapers a place to share their concerns, a new site/social network, designed by vapers for vapers, is in the process of being built – it’s called WeVapeWeVote. The first goal of the project is one million signatures. Once we have this, it’ll be handed over to Trump in the White House to show we mean business.

On top of this, WeVapeWeVote will become a social network of sorts, a place for vapers to create profiles, share their stories, and connect with one another. The project is currently in beta, but progress is being made.

Right now, the most important thing is signatures: we need ONE MILLION to save vaping and make a dent in the political universe – so make sure you sign-up and register. If you’re reading this, you’re a vaper, so make sure you CLICK HERE AND SIGN.

Downloadable Materials

Once you visit WeVapeWeVote, you’ll find a downloadable content section. Here, you’ll find a ready-made A4 letter than you can send to the White House, a downloadable checklist flier that you can distribute in your local community, and a flyer for the WeVapeWeVote website, which you can also share with friends and family inside your community.

Social Media Action Pack

Got a big following on social media? WeVapeWeVote has graphics you can download and install on your social networks – Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. The more people that post these, the more traction and signatures we’ll get. This is a war and we’re fighting a well-funded enemy with ZERO resources.

WeVapeWeVote T-Shirts, Hoodies, & Caps

Inside the WeVapeWeVote store, there are caps, hoodies, and t-shirts for sale. All proceeds from the store go to maintaining the site, organizing events, and raising awareness about vaping in the US. As noted earlier, this project is a collaboration between a couple of vaping companies that are sick of bureaucrats attacking an industry that has done so much for public health in America.

We’re fighting well-funded lobbyists and action groups like Tobacco Free Kids that have millions of dollars in their budgets. We cannot compete with that but what we can do is leverage a grassroots approach, through people like you, and create a force that cannot be ignored. This is the only way positive change will happen. We HAVE to come together, online and in-person, to fight these regulations.

It’s early days yet, but with your help and dedication, there is no reason why we cannot get one million signatures done inside the next few weeks. Use social media to share it, post it on Facebook, tweet about it, stick up fliers in your local vape shops. Whatever it takes, basically. If you want to live in a world where you can vape flavors and use current vape mods and tanks, action HAS to be taken now.

We need the PTMA gone and ZERO restrictions on flavor. We need to push for laws that support vaping, not condemn it. In order to do this, we need to show Washington that it cannot steamroll over our beloved industry, that we won’t it down idly and watch it happen. You might think YOU cannot make a difference, but together, collectively, we can.

Hell, if every single VapeBeat reader over a 30 day period signed this petition, we’d be well on our way to getting 98% of the one million signatures. It only takes 30 seconds to do it, so whatever you’re doing right now, stop and SIGN THE WeVapeWeVote PETITION!

JUUL has done more damage to the US vape market in a few short years than anyone could have imagined. It’s time vapers turned their backs on this Big Tobacco-owned corporation…

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I have many, many issues with JUUL. First, as I’ve always maintained on this blog, its product isn’t very good. Second, its JUULpods are too expensive. Third, the battery life on the JUUL is SO BAD, you need to buy a couple of devices in order to get through a full day.

But that’s just the product. The real issue with JUUL is how it conducts itself. JUUL was one of the fastest-growing vape brands on the planet in 2018 with a $16 billion valuation. It grew and grew and grew in popularity, thanks to its tightly controlled marketing and expansive distribution network across the country.

And then everything went to shit.

The FDA’s false campaign about teen vaping started and picked up momentum. JUUL was targeted by pretty much everybody as the sole reason for this alleged epidemic. But rather than tackling these issues head-on and working out how to better conduct itself, the company decided to get into bed with Altria – AKA Philip Morris, AKA Big Tobacco.

MORE: Best JUUL Alternatives: Our #1 Picks 

JUUL then went on a campaign of pussy-footing around the issue, fawning over comments made by the FDA and misguided action groups like Tobacco-Free Kids. It didn’t defend itself nor did it address the issue of kids accessing its products (spoiler: they’re getting them from gas stations and 711’s, not actual vape shops).

Is JUUL Big Tobacco’s Trojan Horse?

Instead, JUUL just went along with whatever the FDA said, sadly nodding its head and apologizing for its product. Never once did it use its power and influence to call BS on the FDA’s made-up stats about teen vaping. Nor did it leverage science from the UK that shows vaping is 95% safer than smoking.

This is why people claim JUUL is Big Tobacco’s trojan horse. This is why people think the entire purpose of JUUL was to shut down the entire vape industry, paving the way for Big Tobacco’s awful “vaporizer devices” like the IQOS, which will likely by the ONLY FDA approved ecigs on market this time next year.

And you know what, I think these people have a point…

What Does Big Tobacco Want?

#1) No More Flavors

Well, they don’t want flavors – that’d kill their business. After all, Big Tobacco companies have billions invested in tobacco farming, so there’s no way they’re going to give all that up. And getting vape flavors banned, which is currently happening, would likely be the best way to decimate the market ahead of the launch of its own, tobacco-focused vapor products.

#2) Make The Public Question Safety of Vaping

When smoking rates reach an all-time low, both here and in the UK, you know something is going to happen. Big Tobacco has investors, they cannot afford to go out of business. On top of this, it is in the interest of the US government for Big Tobacco to be profitable too.

Why? The MSA Agreement.

Therefore, the quickest way to curtail any more losses would be to cast doubt on the safety of vaping. Public Health England, as well as the Royal College of Physicians, an institute that’s been around long before America was founded, both say vaping is not only 95% safer than smoking but name it as our #1 best tool for killing smoking.

But in America, we have people dying from vaping, right? Yes, there have been deaths. But these deaths are linked to illegal THC carts which are being used on, yep, you guessed it, JUUL devices. Now, I’m not saying JUUL is involved in this particular fiasco, but I am concerned that JUUL willingly shipped over 1 million dodgy JUUL pods to its customers.

Could these out of date JUUL pods have caused any of these lung-related issues we’re seeing in the US? Possibly. I mean, we have sell-by dates for reason, right? If something is past its sell-by date, you don’t sell it. For whatever reason, JUUL didn’t think this applied to it – and it even sacked one of its executives after he voiced concerns over shipping them.

Classy.

#3) No More E Juice Companies, No More Vape Products

At the end of the day, whether you’re talking about Big Pharma or Big Tobacco, the end-goal is the same: they want to control nicotine delivery in the US. And they want to do it with their own products with zero interference from smaller brands in the private sector.

Banning flavors, the incoming PTMA, and all the other craziness that is happening right now all play into Big Tobacco’s hands. Once the market has been destroyed and thousands of businesses close their doors, Big Tobacco and Big Pharma will wade in with their “vape” products.

JUUL will probably still be around too because, y’know, it’s owned by Big Tobacco. But you can kiss goodbye your RDAs, vape tanks, vape mods, and pod vapes that are refillable – all of these will be gone. Replacing them will be shitty devices like the IQOS and other tobacco-focused products that taste like licking an ashtray.

And if you don’t like that, well… you could always go back to smoking!

Either way, Big Tobacco wins.

Can you improve as a runner even if you’re vaping regularly? In my anecdotal experience, you can – and this is one of the key differences between smoking and vaping…

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As you get older or have kids, you start to get more conscious about your health. Back in my 20s, I smoked and drank like there was no tomorrow. I didn’t care about cardiovascular health or whether my 20-a-day smoking habit would one day eventually kill me. That was a problem for future me, not the fun-loving present iteration of myself.

I’m now 35, and a new father. Things have changed. I own businesses and have responsibilities, so over the past five years, thanks in no small part to my amazing fiancé, I have slowly changed for the better. I’m healthier than ever before, I follow a diet completely devoid of sugar and processed food (keto), and I run every day. Either 5 miles or 10 miles, depending on how I feel.

I run because it’s cheaper than therapy, because it makes me feel better than any drug I’ve ever taken, and because it keeps my bodyfat at respectable levels. But mostly, I run because I want to be fit and healthy as my boy grows up, so I can run around and play with him in my 40s without breaking a sweat or having a coronary. This is my #1 driving factor. My son. In fact, my only vice nowadays is red wine, a bit of recreational pot, and vaping.

How Can You Run & Vape? Doesn’t It Affect Your Lung Capacity?

I’ve attempted to develop a running habit countless times during my life; at least, six times in my twenties and once or twice in my thirties. They all failed to stick.

Until I read Born To Run.

Then something changed. Up until that point in my life, I viewed running as unnatural. I thought it was terrible for your joints and humans weren’t designed to run long distances. Turns out I was completely wrong.

We are running machines, designed by evolution to run miles a day. Hell, prior to the invention of weapons, humans used to run-down animals until they dropped dead from exhaustion. And they did this for THOUSANDS of years.

I started running (properly) in April 2019. I laced up some trainers and went out on a local trail not expecting much. About 15 minutes into my run, I noticed something – I didn’t feel too bad. My lungs weren’t burning, and I didn’t have that acid-burn feeling in my throat. I trotted on, genuinely awe-struck by what was happening. This had never happened before. I’ve been on many runs and they all sucked immediately. So what was different this time around? A few things, actually:

#1) I No Longer Smoke (Like Ever)

Every single time I have attempted to start running, I was a smoker. I thought I could push through it, plenty of runners smoked in the 1960s and 70s, for instance, but you can’t – and even if you could, why would you want to? The effect smoking tobacco has on your lungs is terrible. We all know this. And while you’re 100% better off doing neither, vaping is 95% safer than smoking and doesn’t appear to hinder your lung capacity in the same fashion. I mean, I vape A LOT, and I can now bang out a 24-minute 5K without breaking a sweat.

I am no athlete. A 24-minute 5K is not impressive. But in my 20s, I couldn’t even run for 1K without nearly puking and feeling like my lungs were on fire. The only difference between my 25-year-old self and my 35-year-old self, aside from the grey hair, is vaping (and a better diet). I no longer smoke cigarettes. But I do vape, so what gives? I think it’s rather simple: multiple studies have shown that vaping improves lung function in smokers. Improved lung function equals better athletic performance. And this means you can, after a bit of training, run longer and harder.

I can recall what it felt like to run as a smoker; it felt like my lungs were on fire and I couldn’t get enough oxygen into my system. This feeling was experienced instantly – 5 or 6 minutes into a run. With vaping, I don’t get any of these symptoms. And I’m 10 years older. In fact, I am now fitter than I was when I was 18. I can run for longer, I have less body fat, and I have vastly improved stamina. And the only thing that has changed is that I no longer smoke – I vape instead.

#2) I Learnt How To Run With Correct Form

That’s not the whole story though. After a few weeks of research, I learned that I had been running incorrectly my entire life. I was a heel-striker. I let my feet get too far out in front of me. I ran with poor form, basically, and this made running even more difficult. Form is key when it comes to running. Get it right and it’ll shave minutes off your times. Do it wrong and you’re looking at a serious injury, aching knees, sore joints, and back pain.

As with most things in life, much of what we think we know about running is wrong. You don’t need Nike trainers to run. In fact, the less cushioning you have the better. Evolution designed your foot to run. It took millions of years. It is already perfect for running. You do not need $200 trainers with cushioning and gel. Not when you have optimized your running form. Not smoking and improving my running form are the #1 things that turned my performance around.

I never understood how someone could get addicted to running. It just seemed like a lot of work and pain. But I now get it; when you run properly, it’s easy – like you’re flying. The difference between how I used to run and how I run now is like night and day. Using the correct form makes running easier, keeps you injury-free, and allows you to run long distances without it feeling like your lungs or head are about to explode.

#3) I Bought Some Natural (Zero-Lift) Running Shoes

In an ideal world, I’d run barefoot. If I lived near a beach, I’d be barefoot running on that sucker every morning for hours at a time. Sadly, I don’t live near a beach and the roads and surfaces I run on are bumpy, riddled with stones and cracks, and the odd bit of broken glass for good measure. I can’t run barefoot, basically, but I can get damn close with a pair of Vibram running shoes. There is no lift on these, no cushioning either. And the net result of this means you’re as close to running barefoot as can be. Your feet react correctly to the ground, as they would naturally, and your running gait improves. These shoes, not smoking, and sorting out my running form are the three components that made the most difference to my running habit.

Nike pretty much invented the modern trainer. The idea of jogging – or heel-striking for hours at a time – is the #1 reason why people injure themselves running. In fact, the incidence of running-related injuries spiked in the years following the release of Nike’s first “modern” running shoe, a show that was designed for you to land on your heels when you run – the complete inverse of how you’re designed to run! Ultra-long distance runners and marathoners will likely require more support than is available from Vibram barefoot running shoes, but for anyone regularly running under 20K a session they are perfect.

Why Running Is The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Health, Well-Being & Longevity 

The average, serious runner peaks at about 18 years old. If you’re a pro, you’ll likely top out in your mid-20s, with respect to speed over, say, a 10K distance. But get this: runners can maintain their habit well into the 70s and 80s and don’t seem to lose too much speed. This pretty much tells you everything you need to know about running. If a 60-year-old experienced runner can wipe the floor with an inexperienced 25-year-old runner, there must be something to it. Name another sport, save for golf and pool, where this is possible?

On top of this, it is never too late to develop a running habit. If you’ve quit smoking and moved onto the vapes, the next best thing you can do for yourself is to start improving your cardiovascular system. And the best way to do that? Running. Running is also the cheapest of all exercise routines. You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment, just a pair of trainers and you’re good to go. The first few sessions will suck. Big time. But once you’re a month or two into your new running habit, you’ll struggle to realize how you ever lived without regular runs.

And then there’s the endorphins. Run long enough and you get a high that wipes the floor with any illegal or legal drug on the market. Seriously. Nothing else compares to runner’s high. Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll know. And you’ll keep coming back for more! This is why people get addicted to running.

I know this because I have been someone who LOATHED running and someone who now LOVES running. And if I can make the switch, then you can too. If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re already vaping and have quit smoking. If that’s the case, well done! Your next goal, regardless of age, weight, or current fitness levels, should be to improve your health by incorporating regular exercise – and not just running, weight training is important too. So, start running and banging out the press-ups.

It’s never too late to make positive changes in your life.

And before you go, make sure you check out the newly launched VapeBeat E Juice Store – we’re super proud of it!