Crafts & DIY
Don't Let Allergies Stop You From Exercising Outside
Spencer Carney
09.19.16

Nothing can ruin a walk in the park, a jog on the forest path, or even just cardio at your local outdoor recreation center quite like allergies. Thus, we are forced to workout in gyms which can be costly or at home.

Getting out of the house and in the great outdoors can be beneficial to our health in more ways than one, and here is how you can fight off those allergies so that they don’t get in the way of your workout!

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Image courtesy dadsroundtable.com
Source:
Image courtesy dadsroundtable.com

Exercising outside allows you to soak up Vitamin D!

When you go outside your skin cells go through a process of stimulation from the suns UV-B rays where they are creating Vitamin D. If your skin fairs on the much lighter side it is recommended that you receive at least 10 minutes of direct sunlight to receive your healthy amount of Vitamin D.

Of course, though the outside is quite rejuvenating by itself as you receive some fresh air and have your serotonin levels boosted by the sun (the happy chemical that your brain manufactures), why not also get some endorphins pumping with a little exercise while you’re at it! Which can be as simple as doing what you would do inside such as planking, yoga, and ab exercises or as complicated as doing a hike!

Know what you are up against!

Now that you are fully intrigued about exercising outside you might say, “Its great outside, but I’m miserable cause of the way my body reacts!” to which I would recommend writing down your symptoms after outdoor experiences. There are different allergy receptors in our bodies and depending on what you are allergic too whether its pollen, grass, or pollutants the strategy to combat them may be different.

Fighting allergies isn’t just about medications!

There is a variety of ways you can combat allergens without jumping to medication straight away. For example, now that you would know that you are allergic to mold spores you would avoid going outside to work out after it rains or is highly humid outside.

Just as I’m sure you might deduce that if you were allergic to any sort of pollen that going outside directly after a rain would dramatically lessen any symptoms you might have previously experienced.

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Image courtesy r.hswstatic.com
Source:
Image courtesy r.hswstatic.com

If you must go to allergy medication it is recommended to utilize second-generation, over-the-counter antihistamines over the first generation because they don’t dry out your mouth, which can be bad when you need to keep hydrated when you’re working out in the sun, and are non-drowsy.

Don’t underestimate washing your clothes and showering often; as going outside with a clean slate will be much less distressing than allowing the allergens already attached to your body and clothes to build up over time.

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Image courtesy www.zrytec.com
Source:
Image courtesy www.zrytec.com

Allergies don’t need to be the reason you don’t often spend time outside, jogging outside for example allows you to push yourself more than on a treadmill as it requires you to keep going till you meet your goal and return home! Make today the day you liberate yourself from the confines of your home and come outside to say hello!

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