Protect your lungs, sign up for daily air quality alerts

 

Being active outside, whether you are running, walking, or playing with friends or relatives is one of the great joys of the spring and summer seasons. Unfortunately, when the weather gets nice, air quality in the Greater Philadelphia region can become unhealthy to breathe, especially when you are active.

Does that mean that you should take the summer off from all of those activities that you enjoy? Absolutely not. But you can take measures to make sure that you know when air quality is unhealthy and plan your run, walk, or yard work for times when pollution levels are lower. By signing up for free air quality forecasts at www.airqualitypartnership.org, you can get a text or email alerting you to when air quality if forecast to be poor or unhealthy. On days when air quality is poor (Code Orange on the Air Quality Index), you can still exercise, just schedule your activity for the morning or evening when pollution levels are lower. When air quality levels are unhealthy (Code Red), consider less strenuous activities or moving your exercise indoors for the day.

Of course you can always take action to help prevent the air from being polluted in the first place. Actions like saving energy, taking transit and leaving the car at home, and making sure that your car is tuned-up and well maintained are all simple ways to save you money and protect the environment. Exercise is important for your body and mind so make sure you use the air quality forecast to help you protect your health and take actions to reduce air pollution.