Another reason to avoid the treadmill

Another reason to avoid the treadmill: the air outside is probably a lot better than at your local gym.

You may want to think twice about staying inside on the treadmill instead of heading outside this winter. Recent research has found, unsurprisingly, that the air quality in gyms tends to be poor for exercising. Running outside during the winter may be cold, but if you’re away from the terrible air quality that comes with major vehicle traffic routes, it’s worth considering.

Researchers in Lisbon, Portugal, set up machines to measure air quality in 11 different gyms around the city. They were looking to find the levels of dust, carbon dioxide and formaldehyde. It turns out the gyms had higher levels of all three than what is generally considered safe. Further, the air quality was worst in the evenings when gyms are busiest.

Carbon dioxide, though not toxic, can make you tired and drowsy. It is found to be very high in gyms. This was compounded by it being an area where people are generally breathing heavily. Breathing heavily produces more CO2 and also means others are breathing in more – not a great combination. Formaldehyde and dust are bad for asthma, which are found in the air in higher concentrations during the evening when more people are moving around.

Though the idea of running outside during the winter seems like a terrible one to many, it can actually be nice if you dress accordingly and it seems it may also be better for you.