It’s going to be a HOT HOT Day here in Sacramento! Temperatures are reaching 100 degrees – and that’s EARLY for the season. Obviously!

So! If you are planning on running or training outside – DO IT when the weather has come down a bit. Running in the heat…even running in pollution is TERRIBLE for you.

Check out this interesting study:

Exercising In The City? Don’t Get Exhaust-ed; Take

It Inside

ScienceDaily (May 14, 2008) — As environmentalists have pointed out, it can be as dangerous to be outdoors behind a city bus — walking or bicycling — as it is to be in front of one. All the exhaust and smoke — even when they have been reduced by clean-air technology — can damage a person’s health. The dangers of urban air pollution are of special concern to those who exercise by running, bicycling or skating. These individuals, while trying to help their bodies through exercise, should take care that they do not harm themselves through exposure to air pollution.

Dr. Ronald Crystal, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says that air pollution is definitely a problem for those who work out in the city. The main culprits are ozone, fine particulate matter, and carbon monoxide, he says. These pollutants irritate the lungs and respiratory system, and can exacerbate the problems of individuals with underlying disease — such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or cardiopulmonary maladies.

If you have heart or lung disease, Dr. Crystal says, in summer, you should, if possible, exercise indoors, preferably in an air-conditioned room. If you must go outdoors, the early morning or evening is best. It will be cooler, the sun is not at its peak, and the ozone levels will be at their lowest.

Dr. Crystal says that epidemiologic studies have linked air pollutants to harmful effects on the heart and lungs, to emergency hospital admissions, and to deaths. The pollutants affect the lungs by causing inflammation or irritation of the airway lining. More mucus and phlegm is produced, he says, and small muscles surrounding the airway respond by squeezing down. The work of breathing increases and it becomes more difficult to get oxygen into the body.

Read the rest here. 

 
Not so healthy after all??

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