The best place to exercise during the coronavirus pandemic

One of the best ways to stay healthy during the coronavirus pandemic is with regular exercise.

Of course, gym closures and stay-at-home orders may have thrown a wrench in your normal workout regimen. But that doesn’t mean you should throw in the towel. In fact, some new research shows that there may be a better place to get the physical activity you need…and you can get there simply by stepping out your front door.

But, given the current environment, there are some safety precautions to keep in mind. And not just when it comes to protecting yourself from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. So today I’m going to explain the safest ways to get some exercise outside…

Get outside! (But avoid crowds and pollutants)

Perhaps Dr. Marc Micozzi was foretelling the future when he said, “It’s best to exercise out in Nature, away from crowds and pollutants.”

In his Breathe Better Lung Health Protocol, he stresses the vital importance of exercise in maintaining (or rejuvenating) your lung health.

But adds that where you exercise is equally important.

He recalls, “When I had to live in the utopian, post-modern ‘paradise’ of LA County between 1966 and 1971, I clearly remember how my lungs burned whenever I attempted even light exercise.

“At the time, residents didn’t always make the connection to the poor air quality in LA County. But as I learned more about the body’s respiratory process, it dawned on me that breathing polluted air was literally burning my lungs.”

For evidence of what pollution can do to your lungs when your exercise, he cites a study recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Lancet.

Researchers assigned volunteers to two groups. Participants took a two-hour walk in either a large park or an urban area with heavy traffic.

Pulmonary tests showed that the park walkers experienced better lung function and improved arterial flexibility. And these improvements lasted for more than 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the urban walkers showed no benefits. Plus, those with lung ailments had more wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing up of phlegm.

As Dr. Micozzi points out, these results make two things clear: Light-to-moderate exercise produces lung and heart benefits, but the same exercise in a polluted environment is detrimental to heart and lung function.

Scoping out the ideal time and place for exercise

In a recent article in the journal Breathe, the editors outline guidelines for exercising in areas where pollution (particularly vehicle-caused pollution) is an issue.

  • Check the weather report. Air pollution is higher on hot, sunny days, and lowest when it’s windy or after rainfall.
  • Also check your local air quality before exercising outdoors. In the U.S., you can open the EPA website AirNow to find the current air quality index value in your zip code.
  • If possible, avoid roads with tall buildings on either side. Air pollution gets trapped in these areas.
  • If possible, avoid roads with multiple traffic lights—cars emit higher exhaust levels when accelerating after idling at a stoplight.

Of course, adhering to some of these guidelines can be difficult in large cities. But one silver lining to the stay-at-home orders most U.S. cities are under is that traffic has eased up considerably. Fewer cars on the roads should help improve air quality somewhat—and allow for safer outdoor activity.

Moderate exercise is essential, but going to extremes can take a terrible toll

As much as Dr. Micozzi believes moderate exercise is important to staying healthy, he also stresses the importance of avoiding excessive exercise.

He firmly believes that pushing your body to extremes does more harm than good, and can even compound the adverse effects of air pollution.

And he has the scientific evidence to confirm it:

  • Lungs

Too much exercise can prompt lung damage. Dr. Micozzi points out that your lungs simply can’t deliver enough oxygen to meet the increased metabolic demands of excess exercise.

He explains the danger: “When your body doesn’t receive enough oxygen, your muscles switch to a primitive mechanism called ‘anaerobic respiration,’ which causes cells to break down blood sugar without oxygen.”

This process creates toxic waste byproducts that cause muscle fatigue and metabolic toxins that are especially harmful for people with diabetes.

  • Heart

Your heart benefits from light-to-moderate exercise, but it can only beat so fast. Dr. Micozzi says, “Anything above its threshold won’t allow it to fill with blood in between beats.

“In fact, when you push the heart past its limit like this, you actually induce a well-known physiologic condition called ‘high-output heart failure.’ Excessive exercise can cause damage to the heart muscle over the long-term.”

  • Joints

Excess exercise contributes to chronic joint disease, primarily to knee and hip joints, and excessive, episodic running in particular can damage your joints—especially if you run on hard, manmade surfaces.

Dr. Micozzi adds that intense, prolonged exercise is also hard on your kidneys and your gastrointestinal tract.

Instead, he far prefers the moderate exercise you get from doing housework, yard work, and even arts and crafts that involve physical labor. He says, “They all contribute to the healthy activity and movement your lungs—and the rest of your body—need to stay stronger longer.”

And these types of moderate exercise are also less likely to expose your lungs to harmful air pollution

One last reminder: when exercising outside during this pandemic, it’s important to avoid crowds and wear a face mask when appropriate.

You can find many additional strategies designed to protect your lungs in Dr. Micozzi’s Breathe Better Lung Health Protocol, with insider tips about lung-supporting exercises, dietary choices, supplements, and much more.

Click here to enroll today, or to continue exploring the fascinating details of this unique protocol.

 

SOURCES

“The truth about coronavirus, air pollution and our health” Environmental Defense Fund, 4/7/20. (https://www.edf.org/blog/2020/04/07/truth-about-coronavirus-air-pollution-and-our-health)

“Exercise and air quality: 10 top tips” Breathe 2015; 11(3): 239-242; DOI: 10.1183/20734735.ELF113