Those who live in the middle of the city and still want to do outdoor sports often do not have the luxury of really fresh air. The question is whether it is better or worse for your health to breathe in increased harmful environmental toxins through outdoor exercise or whether it would be healthier not to do any sport.

Each person breathes in an average of 6 to 10 litres of air per minute, depending on their height. Physical activity can increase the amount of air inhaled by a factor of 10. In addition, the air reaches deeper into the lungs than during normal inhalation. This naturally means that significantly more pollutants are inhaled with the air when doing sport in the city. However, experts agree that the overall health benefits of physical activity outweigh the disadvantages of inhaled pollutants. In fact, the risk of fatal lung disease is significantly reduced with regular exercise, even in highly polluted places, compared to inactive people.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to exercise when the air pollution is as low as possible. During rush hour, i.e. from 8 to 9 a.m. and between 5 and 7 p.m., there are usually the most vehicles on the road. If possible, you should not choose these hours to exercise outdoors. If you have the opportunity to jog in a city park or through a pedestrian zone, you should definitely do so.  

What is PSI?

PSI is the abbreviation for Pollution Standards Index. It is a measurement system for determining air quality. The scale ranges from 0 to 500; anything above 100 PSI is considered unhealthy, above 300 is dangerous.