air pollution

The recently released State of the Air report ranks Los Angeles as the nation's dirtiest city, a spot that LA has unfortunately held for a decade.

The report, commissioned by the American Heart and Lung association, found that 186.1 million people, more than half the US population, live and breathe in areas with dangerously high levels of air pollution. The rest of California did not fare so well either; the report found that the number of estimated premature deaths due to poor air quality, particulate matter specifically, has tripled. It is not surprising that three other metropolitan areas in California — Bakersfield, Visalia-Porterville, Fresno-Madera — rank among the nation's dirtiest.

To see the American cities that have the cleanest air, read more

Thanks to a series of fires up here in Northern California, many regular outdoor exercisers are being forced to take their workouts inside due to excess smoke in the air. It's especially important for those of us with asthma or upper-respiratory maladies, but everyone should use a little bit more caution when the air quality is not up to par this Summer. Use these tips for exercising to prevent damage to your health:

• Do not run on or near roads where there is heavy truck or bus traffic.
• Work out in the early morning or later in the evening when the ozone levels are at their lowest.
• Exercise indoors if possible.
• If you experience any difficulty breathing, stop your exercise immediately and see your doctor.

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It's been super hot in my neck of the woods lately, which has led me to take my workouts indoors. Not only do I not want to risk heat stroke, but I'm also concerned about all the exhaust and smoke on the streets.

New research says that even when it has been reduced by clean-air technology, air pollution can damage an outdoor exerciser's health, especially someone who has asthma, bronchitis, emphysema or other cardiopulmonary maladies. You shouldn't let pollution deter you from your exercise goals, but you may want to keep these tips in mind:

• Do not run on or near roads where there is heavy truck or bus traffic.
• Work out in the early morning or later in the evening when the ozone levels are at their lowest.
• Exercise indoors if possible.
• If you experience any difficulty breathing, stop your exercise immediately and see your doctor.

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There's been a lot of talk about the air quality in Beijing and how it is going to affect the Olympic athletes. But there is a significant amount of pollution stateside as well, and there are a few things you should know about pollution and exercise.

When you are working out, getting your cardio on, you take about 10 to 20 times the air that you would when just sitting on the couch. That makes sense right, the word "aerobic" often used to describe exercise does mean "with air." Generally when exercising and breathing hard you are breathing through your mouth (try as I might, I cannot breathe through my nose when I am running). This means the air bypasses our body's natural filtration system – the nose. Little particles of pollution then end up in the lungs. The unfortunate irony is that one of the important benefits of exercise is stronger lungs.

While exercising and breathing in exhaust is nowhere as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, there are a few things you can and should do to avoid "polluting" your body. To see them just read more

Traffic pollutants can lower a child's IQ. According to a new study of 202, 8- to 11-year-old children in Boston, kids living in areas with cleaner air faired better on memory and intelligence tests.

A Reuters article on the findings said:

The effect of pollution on intelligence was similar to that seen in children whose mothers smoked 10 cigarettes a day while pregnant, or in kids who have been exposed to lead, Dr. Shakira Franco Suglia of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.

The test focused on the children's exposure to black carbon.

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The Rowbike is an exercise machine that provides the total body conditioning of rowing with the speed and excitement of being on a bicycle.

Riding the Rowbike will strengthen your arms, shoulders, upper back, and core muscles. It's a great cardio workout if you're used to running or regular biking, but it's much easier on your lower back, hips, knees, and feet.

It's a fun way to lose weight, tone up, lower your blood pressure, and relieve stress. It's also great for stretching your back, abs, and hamstrings.

Starting at $775, it's about as much as a regular high performance bike. Use it for exercise or a way to commute to work. You can enjoy the fresh air, and work your heart and muscles, and feel good knowing you're NOT contributing to air pollution.