Staying fit is key for good health. Regular exercise boosts how you look, think, feel, and even sleep. But when the air quality isn’t great, exercising can pose risks to your health.
During exercise, you breathe more, taking in more pollutants than when you’re at rest. However, there are ways to safeguard yourself from air pollution, whether you’re working out indoors or outdoors.
Related article
- How fast will CrossFit get me in shape?
- WHAT’S CAUSING MY HIP PAIN? WHY IS MY HIP POPPING? HOW CAN I PREVENT HIP PAIN?
What causes poor air quality?
Poor air quality occurs when the air around us contains pollutants that can harm our health and the environment. These pollutants come from various sources, both natural and human-made.
One major cause of poor air quality is emissions from vehicles. Cars, trucks, and other vehicles release pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter into the air through their exhaust pipes. These pollutants can irritate our respiratory system, leading to health problems like asthma and lung diseases.
Industrial activities also contribute to poor air quality. Factories and power plants release pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. These emissions can combine with other chemicals in the air to form smog, a thick haze that can be harmful to breathe.
Another significant source of air pollution is agriculture. Farming practices like the use of fertilizers and pesticides can release ammonia and other chemicals into the air. Livestock farming also produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and can affect air quality.
Natural sources of air pollution include wildfires, dust storms, and volcanic eruptions. These events release large amounts of pollutants into the air, which can travel long distances and affect air quality in other areas.
Weather conditions can also worsen air quality. For example, stagnant air masses can trap pollutants near the ground, leading to higher concentrations of harmful substances in the air. This often occurs during periods of high pressure, when there is little wind to disperse pollutants.
To improve air quality, efforts are needed to reduce emissions from vehicles, industry, and agriculture. This can be achieved through measures such as stricter regulations on vehicle emissions, the use of cleaner technologies in manufacturing, and sustainable farming practices. Additionally, increasing awareness about the importance of air quality and taking steps to reduce individual contributions to pollution can help protect public health and the environment.
How does air pollution affect our health?
When the National Ambient Air Quality Standards were established in 1970, concerns mainly revolved around respiratory issues. It’s understandable—exposure to air pollution has been linked to conditions like emphysema, asthma, COPD, and chronic bronchitis.
However, research since then has uncovered connections between air pollution and health problems that go beyond the lungs. These include heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, skin issues, weakened immune systems, as well as reproductive and neurological disorders.
Many of these conditions are linked to long-term exposure to air pollution. Yet, short-term exposure also brings risks, often manifesting as allergy-like symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and worsened asthma symptoms.
How does air pollution impact your breathing during exercise?
When you work out, you breathe in deeper and quicker, taking in more air compared to when you’re resting. Unfortunately, if you’re in a place with bad air quality, this means you’re also inhaling pollutants faster.
Moreover, most people breathe through their mouths while exercising. Unlike your nose, which can filter out some large particles, your mouth can’t do that job.
These factors increase the chances of pollutants reaching your airways when you exercise in areas with poor air quality, whether indoors or outdoors.
While research generally shows that the benefits of exercise outweigh the risks of breathing in polluted air (for most people), it’s essential to be mindful of the air quality where you exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests striking a balance between staying active and minimizing exposure to airborne pollutants.
How to maintain air quality while exercising?
When exercising outdoors, it’s pretty straightforward to avoid poor air quality: aim for earlier times in the day, steer clear of rush hours, and switch indoors when outdoor pollution is high. But what about tackling high indoor pollution levels? Here are some tips from the American College of Sports Medicine to cut down indoor air pollution:
- Keep smoking and vaping outdoors, and skip lighting incense, scented candles, or open fireplaces. These activities can ramp up particle pollution levels indoors.
- Opt for cleaning products with low or no VOCs that meet the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard. Also, avoid working out right after cleaning; let the room air out first by increasing ventilation.
- Minimize air fresheners and aerosol sprays, especially before your workout.
- Store potential sources of air pollution, like paint cans, away from your exercise area, preferably in a separate garage or distant spot.
- Ensure proper ventilation in your home, especially in rooms with activities that generate high pollutants or moisture, like the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom.
For homes without central forced-air heating and cooling, achieving sufficient ventilation might be tricky. On days with good air quality, opening windows can help, but it’s not always feasible, especially for those living near busy roads where vehicle emissions seep indoors.
Consider using an air purifier to boost air circulation and filter pollutants. Most purifiers are for single-room use, so work out in the room where you have the purifier running continuously for optimal air purification. Note that many air purifiers only target gases or particles, not both. Some models use a combination of PECO, HEPA, and carbon filtration to capture and destroy both particles and gases at the molecular level.
Final thought
Maintaining a consistent exercise routine is crucial for health, irrespective of one’s fitness level. To enhance your workout sessions, it’s important to exercise in environments with uncontaminated air. Monitoring the Air Quality Index (AQI) nearby and adopting measures to diminish indoor pollution can protect against detrimental pollutants during exercise.
Opting for locales with superior air quality and striving to ameliorate the air within your residence can amplify the positive effects of your workout regimen while reducing health hazards linked to substandard air quality. Thus, whether you’re working out at the gym or jogging outside, being mindful of air quality can ensure you breathe with ease and fully benefit from your fitness pursuits.
