You’re trying to do everything right – hitting the gym, eating right, and meeting your weekly exercise goals – but hidden pollutants could be cutting your results in half. In a new study published in BMC Medicine, researchers discovered that the protective effects of exercise on lifespan were significantly reduced with higher PM2.5 exposure. Exercise remains crucial for health, even in polluted environments, however, reducing pollution when exercising can greatly increase the protective health benefits of exercise.
Research Overview
In the study, an international team of researchers analyzed over 1.5 million adults across multiple countries over more than a decade. In all of the combined data from seven different cohort studies, 115,196 deaths were reported. Researchers focused on how fine particulate matter (PM2.5) affects the protective benefits that physical activity typically provides by drawing conclusions based on exercise levels and mortality risk in areas with different pollution levels.
The Data
Meeting recommended exercise levels (at least 150-300 minutes of moderate activity per week) reduced the mortality risk by approximately 30% in areas with cleaner air (classified as PM2.5 below 25μg/m³). In regions where PM2.5 exceeded 25μg/m³, this reduction in the mortality risk dropped to just 12-15%. At higher pollution levels (PM2.5 over 35-50μg/m³), the protective benefits of exercise weakened even more. According to the study, nearly half of the world’s population lives in areas that consistently see air pollution being at or above this 25 μg/m³ threshold.
PM2.5
PM2.5 stands for particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter. To put this in perspective, that is about 30x smaller than the diameter of a piece of human hair. These particles are so tiny that when inhaled they can travel deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream.These particles typically originate from sources like combustion, vehicle exhaust, factories, wildfires and more. After entering the bloodstream, these little particles can then travel to other organs and parts of the body causing inflammation and other health problems.
During exercise, you breathe deeper and faster so more polluted air is inhaled. Even in areas with lower pollution rates, it is still important to be aware that pollution can spike during certain seasons or due to natural disasters. For example, the UK typically has low levels of PM2.5, but in the winter when furnaces are turned on, these levels can spike higher. Additionally, living in a more urban area will likely put you at higher risk for consistently higher PM2.5 levels due to the levels of vehicular traffic and industry in those areas.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Exercise
We typically think of these higher levels of PM2.5 being outside due to pollution. While it is true that outdoor pollution is a risk to our health, the risk is not completely gone indoors either. Fine particles from outside can easily infiltrate indoors with the opening of windows and doors. Additionally, indoor PM2.5 commonly originates from sources like candles, cooking exhaust, fireplaces, and household cleaning products.
Whether you are going for a run outside or utilizing your home-gym, it is important to be aware of air quality while exercising. If you are taking the time to exercise and improve your health, the last thing you want is for poor air quality to undermine your efforts. When working out in a polluted environment not only do you introduce more pollutants into your body, but you can also experience reduced cardiovascular efficiency, decreased oxygen delivery and an inflammation response. In the long term, you may be more at risk for respiratory conditions or cardiovascular disease due to the extra strain on those body systems.
Planning your lung-healthy workout
When working out outdoors, check air quality and choose running, walking, or biking routes in areas with cleaner air. The morning is usually the best time of day for air quality since there is typically less traffic and buildup has not accumulated throughout the day. If your area is experiencing a spike in pollution, consider lowering the intensity of your workout or moving indoors until conditions clear up again.
When planning your indoor workout, consider the air quality of the space you will be using. If you go to a gym outside of your home, some of this may be out of your control, but hopefully your gym has professional level filtration in their HVAC systems. At home, common workout spaces include the basement or garage. These are two locations that are particularly prone to indoor air pollution. Due to stored household chemicals, reduced air flow, and moisture build-up, working out in these spaces might be putting your lungs at risk. For these spaces, consider increasing ventilation by opening windows, maintaining HVAC systems properly, and adding the protection of an air purifier. An air purifier can give you the peace of mind that you are working out in a clean, healthy environment. PuroAir’s high quality filters filter out up to 99.9% of particulate matter down to 0.1 microns, so rest assured you will not need to worry about PM2.5 in your home gym. Additionally, the activated carbon layer helps to filter out odors and chemicals from cleaning products ensuring that your home gym stays smelling fresh even when you workout hard.
Depending on your space, consider the PuroAir 130i or the PuroAir 240. The 130i is perfect for spaces up to 600 square feet and is app-connected so you can create schedules and track filter replacements from your phone. The 240 is best for spaces up to 1000 square feet. Set it to auto mode, and you’ll never have to worry about air quality in your workout space again.
It is important to keep exercising regularly. Do not abandon your routine due to air quality concerns. It is important to be strategic about your workouts and ensure that your air quality is clean in order to reap the most benefits from your hard work. Simple solutions can protect your investment in fitness and your long term health. Check out PuroAir’s line of high quality air purifiers to ensure that your at home workout space is optimized for your lung health.