1. How much smog does it exceed? You can’t run
The air pollution index is greater than 300, and the air quality level is level 6. The air quality condition is serious pollution. At this time, the exercise tolerance of healthy people is reduced, there are obvious strong symptoms, and some diseases appear in advance. It is recommended that children, the elderly and patients should stay indoors to avoid physical exertion, and the general population should avoid outdoor activities.
2. Hazards of running in smog
2.1. Susceptible to respiratory diseases
Running in a haze day will cause a large number of particulate pollutants contained in the air to enter the body (such as the respiratory tract and lungs) through the respiratory system, which is easy to cause infection and disease due to bacteria and viruses.
2.2. Easy to cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases
Running in smog days is easy to cause high blood pressure or heart disease, because a large number of particulate pollutants in the air will lower the air pressure. In addition, these particulate pollutants may also cause arteriosclerosis, thrombosis and vasospasm when they enter the body.
3. Precautions for running in haze
Try not to run long distances. First of all, it is still not recommended to run in severe smog weather. During running, you will breathe deeper and inhale harmful substances more easily. Moreover, the endurance and intensity of marathon are higher than other sports. As we all know, the main component of smog weather is PM2.5, which can enter people’s blood.
Therefore, in smog weather, try not to stay outdoors for a long time, including morning exercises for the elderly, which we do not recommend.
What are the misunderstandings of running in smog
1. In smog days, you can run in places with more green plants
Many runners think that green plants can purify the air, so places with more green plants will have less haze pollution. However, today, I want to tell you that this is definitely a “pit”, and it is a big one. Because haze is mainly granular pollutants, green plants can not purify and filter it, so places with more green plants suffer from the same pollution level.
2. Wear a mask and you can run on a smoggy day
In heavily polluted areas such as Los Angeles and Beijing, one fifth of hemoglobin in the human body is bound by carbon monoxide. At this concentration, muscle coordination and sense of time are inhibited. Other oxides such as ozone and hydrocarbons can irritate your throat, nose and trachea. When you run in polluted air, ozone can also cause chest tightness and cough. “Wouldn’t it be nice to run with a mask?” It’s not so simple. You need to inhale a lot of air during running. Wearing a mask may backfire and make people more uncomfortable.
3. Indoor sports in smog
It is generally believed that indoor sports should be used instead of outdoor sports when the pollution index is high. But this is definitely a bad idea! There are also many pollutants in the air in the gym, usually formaldehyde. In addition, the gym is usually poorly ventilated, which may trigger asthma.
What if I can’t run in the haze
1. Learn to swim
Instead of running, the best choice is to run on a treadmill in a haze day, rather than go swimming in an indoor swimming pool. Swimming itself is very exercise for heart and lung function, strengthen your respiratory system, and better fight against air pollution.
A person who often swims has a lung capacity of at least 1000ml more than the average person. In a quiet state, he breathes 8 times less per minute, thus reducing harmful gases entering the lungs.
When you choose indoor swimming, you can reduce the intensity a little and swim for 30 minutes at the speed of 1.5 kilometers per hour, which can basically achieve the purpose of exercise. Swimming consumes more energy and dissipates heat quickly. Your blood circulation will speed up and you can better metabolize body wastes.
Smart Swim: some gyms have swimming pools underground, even B2 and B3. The air here is not good, so you’d better go to the swimming pool with sunshine.
2. Yoga & Pilates
Indoor sports with low intensity, yoga and Pilates must be on the list. Soothing breathing exercises, flexibility exercises and static exercises are very suitable for smog days.
On the one hand, the intensity of exercise is relatively low, and the demand for oxygen is not large. On the other hand, these exercises can help you relax and clean up the bad mood accumulated in the haze day.
In ancient yoga, there is also a special practice called “nirti method”, which is a method of cleaning the nasal cavity and training breathing, which can clean up nasal garbage and improve immunity. If you have the habit of strength training at ordinary times, you can change it to pilates in the haze, and feel the beauty of static muscle training.
Smart practice: when practicing yoga and pilates in haze days, pay special attention to the cleaning of yoga mats to prevent more bacteria from entering the respiratory tract. After using the yoga mat, be sure to thoroughly clean your face, neck and hands.
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