Training

Running outside in polluted air

We all know that running outside with lots of air pollution is bad. But we also know that not exercising for the summer is pretty bad too. How do we balance the two? And is biking to work really any worse that sitting in a car in a traffic jam on the way to work? That’s the topic I tackle in the latest Jockology column in the Globe, which has just been posted:

The question

How harmful is it to exercise outside on a polluted day?

The answer

There’s no doubt that the air pollution in cities is bad for us. And exercise makes it worse, since we breathe in a greater volume of air and bypass the natural filtering of the nasal passages by inhaling through the mouth.

Exercising indoors, where the air tends be better during smoggy periods, is much healthier than slacking off for the summer.

But if you have to head outside anyway - to get to work, for example - the choice is trickier. Depending on when you go and what route you take, you may be better off running or biking to the office than sitting in rush-hour traffic. [READ ON...]