How Does Air Pollution Affect Your Exercise And Diet?

People tend to think that air pollution only harms their bodies a bit that they only might develop some allergies or breathing issues for some time but what if we tell you that air pollution accounted for over 50,000 deaths in 2020 in India alone due to respiratory diseases, chronic heart diseases and stroke? Air pollution not only harms the environment but also has really adverse effects on people's health. Air pollution is a major factor behind many common ailments in the world. Let's learn more about these diseases here.

What Diseases Are Caused By Air Pollution?

Diseases caused by air pollution end up killing and hospitalizing many every year. The World Health Organization implies that every one out of eight deaths in the world are caused due to conditions associated with air pollution. Stroke, lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, acute lower respiratory infection and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are some of the most common respiratory diseases caused because of air pollution.

• Ischemic Heart Disease, also known as coronary heart disease is an umbrella term for heart diseases that are caused by narrowed heart arteries. When the arteries are narrowed blood and oxygen have difficulty in reaching the heart muscles which can be a cause of heart attack.
• Stroke has often been linked to air pollution but now there is substantial evidence to prove it. Be it long term or short term exposure to pollution both increase your risk of getting a stroke.
• Lung Cancer has also been associated with air pollution. There has been overwhelmingly substantial evidence which shows that particle pollution which comes from coal fired power plants, vehicle exhaust and other industrial sources is a cause of lung cancer.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that causes an obstruction of airflow from the lungs. People suffering from this disease are more vulnerable to the bad effects of air pollution.

What Is The Health Risk To Living In Air Pollution?

If the air quality of the place you are living in is terrible then it will have health impacts which includes respiratory tract irritation, breathing issues and even chronic respiratory diseases. However it depends on the pollution levels of the place you're living in.

If you are living at a place where air pollution levels are high then it can cause many health problems like:

• Chronic respiratory diseases and ischemic heart diseases.
• Increased chances of stroke.

If you are exposed to polluted air for longer durations then it can have permanent effects such as:

• Decreased lung capacity and function.
• Diseases like Asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
• Stroke
• Premature death
• Reduced immunity and catching infections often

The people most vulnerable to the adverse effects of air pollution are:

• People suffering from chronic heart diseases like coronary artery disease and lung issues like Asthma, Emphysema and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
• Pregnant women
• Children
• Old people
• Outdoor workers

How Can Gym Workout & Diet Plan Help You To Protect From Air Pollution?

The air quality index is a determining factor of how your health would be so it's important to have a gym workout and a diet plan in place can help you counter the ill effects of air pollution. Here is how you can do it.

We can't control the air pollution but what we can do is develop our immune system to fight against it. There are some foods that we should include in our diet to boost immunity and fight the ill effects of pollution. These foods include vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower spinach and green onion, fruits like guava, papaya, and other citrus fruits, herbs like Ginger, anise, turmeric, Tulsi fennel and hot mustard

The advantages of exercise helps counter the ill effects of air pollution so it's important to include workout in your everyday routine especially if you live in extremely polluted cities like Delhi. Studies suggest that the benefits of a workout outweigh the negative effects of air pollution. Working out even in a noxious environment can help more than no exercise at all.

If you now want to counter the ill effects of air pollution by indulging in workout regularly then do it with FITPASS- India's largest fitness network that offers you the freedom to workout wherever and whenever you want. You can choose from 2,25,000+ workout sessions and 8,100+ gyms and fitness studios across the country. If you want to follow a immunity boosting diet plan to counter the ill effects of air pollution then you can activate FITFEAST by FITPASS and get in touch with experienced nutritionists who can offer you diet tips, and make a customised diet plan that suits all your fitness requirements and pay attention to your personal needs and get an answer to all your fitness related queries!