1. Environmental pollution has a negative impact on athletes.
Nose hair is the first line of defense of the human body, and smaller harmful particles can enter the human body through nose hair. When these particles enter the lungs, they may cause inflammation. Sometimes it gets into the blood, which may lead to heart disease or stroke. Because people breathe deeper and more frequently during exercise, the human body will inhale more air. If a person runs for three hours at 70% of the maximum oxygen intake (relatively easy to run), the amount of air inhaled is equivalent to the amount of air inhaled after he sits for two days. If you are in polluted air, inhaling more air means inhaling more pollutants.
In 2004, a study conducted by an Australian scholar showed that even a small amount of air pollutants can cause damage to the lungs during exercise, and the degree of damage can be equivalent to exposure to a heavily polluted environment when not exercising. Therefore, the researchers suggest that outdoor athletes under air pollution should pay attention to their own health problems.
Another study conducted by the University of Edinburgh in 2005 reached a similar conclusion. In the experiment, the laboratory was injected with the same level of exhaust gas from busy roads during peak hours, and a group of healthy people rode bicycles in the laboratory for half an hour. Studies have shown that the ability of blood vessels to transport blood and oxygen is weakened, and the tissue plasminogen activator used to dissolve coagulation in blood is also reduced. Based on these observations, researchers believe that exercising along polluted roads may lead to heart disease and stroke.
2. The runner's hope
All these studies seem to warn people not to exercise in a polluted environment. However, these studies all have the same problem, that is, they only test the immediate reaction after exercise and ignore the influence of long-term exercise. Some recent studies try to see from a longer-term perspective, which has a greater impact on the human body, exercise or pollution.
In a study on 20 12, researchers from the University of S? o Paulo tested mice. In five weeks, both groups of mice were placed in an environment polluted by exhaust gas. One group does exercise, while the other group doesn't. The results showed that the lung inflammatory reaction in the inactive group increased sharply, and free radicals (harmful compounds produced by oxidation reaction) were also found in the mice. Surprisingly, the mice in the exercise group were found to be able to resist pneumonia caused by pollution. This study shows that long-term aerobic exercise can help mice produce antioxidants, thus reducing the negative effects of pollution.
Of course, this is only an experiment on mice, so does the study on humans have a similar conclusion? Fortunately, there are also. The University of British Columbia conducted a study on the human body. In this seven-week study, subjects were divided into two groups. The first group was exposed to diesel exhaust gas, and the second group was exposed to clean environment. Both groups took part in the same cycling. The research shows that the group exposed to diesel exhaust through exercise has adapted to the polluted environment and showed similar characteristics of resisting environmental pollution as mice.
In this way, the positive effects of exercise can well offset the negative effects of pollution. Of course, different people will have different reactions to pollution, and the advantages and disadvantages of exercising in polluted environment also need more comprehensive research and analysis. However, according to the above research, one thing is certain: poor air quality cannot be an excuse for not exercising.
3. Recommendations for action
Poor air should not be an excuse for not running. Of course, this doesn't mean that you don't have to worry about polluted air when you run outdoors. Therefore, when you have to run in a city with air pollution, you can refer to the following suggestions to minimize the negative impact of air pollution.
1) Run when the air is good.
Even in heavily polluted cities, there are some sunny days every year. For runners, this is a rare opportunity to run outdoors. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly check indicators such as PM2.5, and try to go out for running when PM2.5 is less than 100.
2) Stay away from traffic jams
Try to avoid places with heavy traffic, especially busy streets, because there may be high concentrations of pollutants due to dense vehicles. If possible, exercise in parks and other places with more plants.
3) Choose the downwind direction
If you are moving in one direction instead of brushing, try to choose the downwind direction. Downwind may make you inhale less harmful substances and make exercise easier.
4) consider using a mask
Running with a mask is not a comfortable experience, no matter how well the mask is designed. However, if the smog is serious and you insist on running outdoors, you may wish to consider supporting professional sports masks like Respro.
5) Inhale through the nose.
Although nose hair can't stop PM2.5 particles, it can play a good role in filtering larger particles such as PM 10. Therefore, in long-term running, cycling and other outdoor aerobic sports, we should learn to inhale more through the nose.
6) Eat antioxidant food
Although the body can synthesize antioxidants, it may not be enough to cope with smog. Therefore, adding some foods with high antioxidant content in daily diet can help the body resist smog. Some daily foods such as red beans, kidney beans, blueberries, strawberries and cherries are good choices.
7) Move indoors when the pollution is serious.
You may have a thousand reasons not to go to the gym, but when the indicators such as PM2.5 are plotted and you are preparing for the next marathon, it is also good to choose indoor equipment such as treadmills occasionally.