Workouts you must NOT do when air quality is poor

Exercising outdoors has always been preferred over indoors due to its tons of health benefits. Working out in fresh air and sunlight not only improves physical health by challenging the body but also lifts your mood and reduces the stress level. Unfortunately, in winters it becomes difficult to step outside the house to train due to poor air quality level. The smoke and tiny dust particles that linger in the air often lead to breathlessness and eye irritation. However, some people wear protective gear and continue to exercise outdoors even in such circumstances. What they need to understand is that masks can limit the entry of dust particles in our respiratory tract, but it cannot completely prevent it. Tiny particles of 0.33 nm can easily pass through the physical barrier and cause irritation in the lining of your respiratory tract. To keep your lungs safe and healthy, there are some particular exercises that you must not perform outdoors when the air quality is poor.

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A nice and calming meditation session in the morning is all you need to lift your mood and energise yourself. Fresh air and warm sunlight can fill your mind with positivity and deep breathing can increase your lung capacity. But when the air quality outside is poor then you would not want to risk your lungs health by performing meditation and breathing exercises outdoors. It is best to practise them indoors for a while.

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Even if you choose to cover your nose and mouth with a face mask while running or jogging outside, you won’t be able to prevent your lungs from the tiny dust particles. When performing aerobic exercises like running and jogging our lungs require a large amount of oxygen. To meet the rising demand of our lungs, we start breathing from our mouth. The air we take through our mouth contains more dust particles as compared to the air we breathe in through our nose. This happens due to the absence of filters like the one present in the nose.

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Cycling became everyone’s favourite outdoor physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the gyms and public places were closed, a large majority of people took to biking. But when the winter is here and the air quality is degrading day by day, you might have to take a break from your daily cycling ride. Doing so might make your feel breathless and you may experience eye irritation due to smog.

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If you like playing sports to stay healthy and physically fit, then you might need a break during the cold season. Cricket, football, frisbee, any kind of outdoor activity which is a part of your daily routine should be crossed out from your schedule till the time the air quality does not improve. For a while, it is better to engage in indoor activities like badminton, basketball and table tennis.

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