The air is getting increasingly polluted, but we still have to practice outdoor sports, so does it really affect our health or not.
Many people believe that you should not exercise outside if the air is polluted, even if it hurts your lungs.
However, in a state of polluted air that lasts for weeks or months, you cannot exercise indoors, so if you want to do it outside, what will you need to pay attention to.
This article will go over the important features and things to keep in mind when you exercise outdoors in polluted air. Now BellyFatZone invites you to refer to this article together!
Lately, the morning air has been very cloudy, with no mist or fine dust. I feel that when I go to the gym, I should wear a protective mask. How is the truth
Enjoying outdoor exercise in nature or the street is comfortable, but you still need to pay attention to the air quality where you work out. The practice of exercising in polluted air can bring many harms you don't expect.
A regular exercise routine is an important factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But exercising outdoors in a state of air pollution can affect health. You should pay more attention to air quality if you have asthma, diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease.
Air pollution can affect the health of children, the elderly, and those who work or exercise outdoors. Air pollution can be caused by several factors such as:
- Dust
- Burning trees
- Traffic is too crowded
- Power production plant
- The building
- Pollen from flowers and plants
- Agricultural activities such as animal husbandry and land clearance
Even if you don't exercise outdoors, exposure to polluted air can cause health problems. But these health problems increase when you exercise outdoors in polluted air.
Harmful when exercising in polluted air
One reason for the increased health risk might be that you usually take in more air during physical activity and take a deeper breath during physical activity.
Furthermore, you will usually breathe deeply through your mouth during the exercise. This means that you will not be breathing through the nasal passages, so pollutants will not be blocked by the nasal cavity.
Health problems associated with air pollution include:
- Headache
- Irritating to eyes, nose, and throat
- Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
- Increased risk of asthma
- Airway damage to the lungs
- Increased risk of lung cancer death and cardiovascular disease
- Making asthma or another lung disease worse
Read more: Trail Runner Gear – Help You Stay Safe And Complete The Journey.
Practice correctly?
To minimize the harmful effects of air pollution on health, doctors encourage people to exercise at home or in gymnasiums, gymnasiums …
If you practice outdoors, choose a time when the air is not too polluted. That is when the sun just rises; the air warms up, fine dust has diffused to the height, green plants also begin the photosynthesis process, releasing more oxygen.
Do not practice on the sidewalk along the highway, close to the road surface. Should choose parks with lots of trees to minimize noise, dust, emissions from vehicles, and not be distracted during exercise.
If you are still worried about fine dust affecting your health when exercising and you are determined to wear a mask, you should use a specialized mask with a standard filter and relative swelling to keep the distance between the nose and the mask. As a result, it is easy to breathe in and out.
Do not use a regular mask because when exercising strenuously, the fabric will be inserted into the nose, causing difficulty breathing.
People suffering from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary obstruction, allergic bronchitis, asthma, myocardial infarction … absolutely should not exercise with current environmental quality.
If you encounter unusual problems during exercise such as itching, fatigue, irritability … you need to stop and see a specialist to find out the cause and origin.
If these abnormalities are caused by pollution or fine dust, they must be stopped for a while.
Exercising in polluted air
How to prevent the effects of air pollution
It remains unclear how much, for how long, or what kind of air pollution is most harmful to health. However, exercising has many long-term health benefits.
These benefits outweigh the harmful effects of exposure to polluted air. So, it would help if you still exercised but find ways to limit the harmful effects of air pollution.
To stay at your best when you exercise, focus on finding ways to reduce your exposure to polluted air. Some ways to reduce the impact of air pollution on exercise include:
Check air pollution: You can download air quality applications or buy an air quality meter to see what areas are polluted and polluted at what hours. This will prevent you from exercising in a place where the air quality is poor.
When to exercise carefully: Air pollution levels are highest near midday or afternoon. So, try to avoid exercising outdoors at these times of the day.
In addition, you should also avoid going out to exercise during peak hours as this can expose you to more polluted air. If possible, avoid exercising near heavy traffic. If you have asthma, diabetes, or other health problems, talk to your doctor about a safe place to exercise.
Reduce exercise: You cannot avoid exercising; you should reduce the intensity of outdoor exercises when the air quality is not good.
Avoid highly polluted areas: Pollution levels can be highest near streets, cities, and areas where people smoke. Therefore, you can avoid exercising in these areas.
Wear a respirator: A respirator helps you filter out a lot of dust in the air. In addition, you can find masks that can filter out fine dust to ensure more health.
Exercise indoors: You can change your exercise routine from outdoor to indoor or gym.
Outdoor exercise brings a feeling of comfort as well as many long-term health benefits. However, you need to protect your health if you want to go out to exercise in the current state of environmental pollution.
View more:
- Exercise at home to improve health and prevent disease
- Exercise to Lose Belly Fat For Men Fast Efficient at Home – Time Saving
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Hopefully, the information above has helped you gain some more knowledge about “air pollution and exercise” and bring some small value. Please share this article if you feel it is useful. Thanks!
