While jogging is a commendable exercise and does increase lung function, it is not conducive to expelling mucus. In addition, if you are already congested, you should not exercise outdoors at all due to the ever more ubiquitous danger of air pollution. Exercising outdoors which has increased recently, probably in connection with a significant drop in gym memberships due to the economy, has health officials worried: "Fitness" magazine reports for example that on high-pollution days, due to the ozone any benefits from outdoor exercise are severely diminished.
Deep Breathing
Jogging, like all cardiovascular exercise, makes you breathe faster and inhale more deeply which increases the oxygen in your blood. Your fast-beating heart in turn sends more blood back to your lungs which makes its small blood vessels widen. This is a good thing -- provided your lungs are clear and you are running in a clean environment.
Pollution's Effect on Lungs
However, if you run in polluted air, all the advantages of the lungs working harder now become problematic: as you are breathing hard and your lungs are absorbing more oxygen, they also absorb more of the particles and fumes that are in the air that you breathe. As "Science Daily" reports, Dr. Ronald Crystal, chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, definitely considers air pollution a problem for people who work out in the city. He explains that outdoor pollutants can irritate, and even cause inflammation in the airways. Instead of reducing mucus, more of will be produced, and the small muscles around the airways contract and squeeze down, making breathing more labored. According to epidemiological studies air pollutants have been linked to harmful effects on hearts and lungs, resulting in emergency room visits, and even death.
ACBT
If you feel your lungs harbor any phlegm that you are unable to cough up, a breathing exercise called "Active Cycle of Breathing Technique," or ACBT, might work for you. It clears secretions and improves air delivery to your lungs through a series of holding a deep breath and exhaling forcefully. This method should be demonstrated by a health care professional.
Special Caution
If you have asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or any other permanent lung disease, you should never exercise outdoors unless you are doing so in extremely pure air the likes of which is increasingly hard to find. In is important, especially for someone living in a large metropolitan area, to check the ozone report in the summer before venturing outside to pursue any kind of activity that accelerates your breathing.
Outdoor Pollutants
The biggest offenders are carbon monoxide, ozone and fine particulates emitted by diesel engines. Carbon monoxide from car exhaust and cigarette smoke can lead to dizziness, headaches, confusion and increase in body temperature. Ozone, a result from the interaction of sunlight with chemicals found in car exhaust, affects a person's breathing pattern. The lungs' airways restrict and cause you to breathe faster because deep breaths become impossible. The long-term effects of ozone, depending on the state of your lungs, can be quite severe: diminished lung capacity, decreased lung function and accelerated aging of the lungs, as stated on the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.
Minimizing Exposure
Minimize exposure by planning your jogging to the time and place with the least exposure to pollutants. Dr. Crystal recommends jogging in the early morning or late at night, and to avoid running near heavy traffic, especially trucks and buses and vehicles running on diesel. The best solution is to run indoors.
