How to exercise outdoors, when the smogs a killer

We′re in the zone yet again: As Delhi′s air pollution levels hover between ?unhealthy′ and ?very unhealthy′, a group of physicians at the Heart Care Foundation of India have asked for the cancellation of the city′s always awaited Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, to be held on October 21. "Not running is not the solution," says Dr Sangeeta Saikia, co-founder of Delhi Runners Group (DRG) that mobilises everyone from beginners to the seasoned sportsperson, to get moving in a country that sorely needs people to exercise more.

Yet, doctors have a cautionary note: "Your respiratory rate is higher than usual during exercise and it can damage your lungs when you inhale deeper. Exercise in pollution can precipitate a heart attack or stroke in those who are susceptible. These include people with arterial blockages, especially silent blockages (when you don′t know you have one), since there is the combination of physical stress and pollution," says Dr KK Aggarwal, national president, HCFI.

So what does one do in a polluted city, besides the obvious choice of running on a treadmill in a gym? Dr Deepak Chaudhary, a sports medicine physician and full-marathon runner, who will be taking part in this year′s ADHM, says over the weekend, when he needs to do his long runs, he tries to venture a little distance from the heart of the city, to an area with greenery. Last year, he says the race sprinkled water on the track to ensure as little dust flew.

You can also monitor the city′s pollution levels to see when the best time is. Dr Adil Rizvi, chief of Cardio-thoracic surgery, PSRI, Delhi, says that he has downloaded an app that measures the air quality index. When it′s too polluted outdoors, he′ll stay in and exercise on the treadmill. Since there′s no substitute for cardio, it′s a fine balance to maintain. A healthy diet loaded with antioxidants and pranayama may not be able to offset the pollution, but they can keep your general health up.

Most Read

★10 Most Effective Weight Loss Exercises For Torching Fat

★Top 10 Diet and Fitness Tips for Men

★Sari saga from Bengal

★Learn How To Do Pearl Facial At Home To Get Naturally Glowing Skin Instantly

★Top Natural Body Care Tips for Women

★5 Common Mistakes that May Ruin Your Skin

★5 Effective Baba Ramdev Yoga Asanas To Increase Height

★5 foods for healthy skin

★Study finds dramatic weight loss can be achieved WITHOUT counting calories

★Take care of your coloured hair with Wella

★How to Do Face Cleansing at Home?

★How to exercise outdoors, when the smogs a killer

★Hard work, no pay linked to mental health issues in comedians

★Ways to Use Honey for a Glowing Skin

★Top 5 foods for glowing skin

★Yoga Asanas To Prevent Hair Loss

★Humans evolved to benefit from fermented foods

★Combat the Cold with Fresh Oregano Tea

★Healthy eating

★The Best Breakfast Foods for Weight Loss

★Dairy and vitamin D supplements protect against bone loss

★7 Filling Foods to Keep Belly Fat at Bay

★10 Surprising Things That Can Cause You to Lose Muscle

★Is This the Best Diet for Post-Menopausal Women?

★Why You Need to Start Combining Avocados and Peaches

★The Key to Healthy Aging

★Everyday Medications You Should Never Take When You Exercise

★4 Totally avoidable gym mistakes

★Surgery addict rushed to hospital after his body REJECTED his new nose

★8 Fruits that Burn Fat: Include Them In Your Diet For Great Health Benefits

★Natural and healthy effects of Aloe Vera!

★Growing Propagating and Using Aloe Vera

★Heres why you should go sulphate-free with your hair care

★Natural Ways to Remove Blackheads on Face and Nose

★Haryana girl Nishtha Dudeja wins Miss Deaf Asia 2018 crown

★9 Food Habits To Keep Eating To Lose Weight

★Just ten minutes of play a day can help children reduce their risk of developing heart disease and diabetes later in life

★5 Yoga Poses that Can Give You a Glowing Skin

★A Beginners Guide to Sun Salutations

★Daylight Savings Time: That miserable time of year when many mourn loss of one-hour sleep

★The Diabetes Diet

★5 surprising beauty benefits of amla

★How to Set Weight-Loss Goals You Can Actually Achieve

★Eating Carbs and Fats Before a Workout? Read This

★Top 10 Unknown Beauty Tips and Tricks

★Pasta eaters may have better diet quality: study

★Medication Management Tips

★Skinny jeans and big fluffy hoods contribute to back pain

★Try these 4 simple yoga asanas to gain weight

★Flex Your Memory Muscle


©2025 All rights reserved. shapesnfitness.com