Fit Friday; AQI

 Well, we made it through the week. On top of it being the first week of school for three of my kiddos we have had crazy rains, flooding throughout our neighborhood, and smokey skies from fires throughout the West Coast. If you live in Utah you have heard about air quality and you know it has been bad! I am one of those people that learned years ago during inversiony winters to check the air quality. The Air Quality Index (A.Q.I.) can easily be found and has become a great reference number for me.

If the A.Q.I. is above 100 I don't run outside, or on the treadmill in my garage since that air is the exact same as outside. I know that this is an individual choice, but for me I stick to the 100 rule for the sake of my health.

What are the dangers of breathing air with a high AQI?

Poor air quality can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause shortness of breath, aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions, and affect the heart and cardiovascular system. Breathing polluted air for long periods of time can cause more serious problems. -Spare the Air

Aggravated respiratory disease such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. Lung damage, even after symptoms such as coughing or a sore throat disappear. Wheezing, chest pain, dry throat, headache or nausea. Reduced resistance to infections. -Spare the Air

What all of this means is that I am coming at you this week with a new treadmill workout. I love having a workout to follow on the treadmill, it gives me more of a definitive goal with lots of little goals throughout. By focusing on one little goal at a time it is easier to hit the big goal.

This week we are focusing on inclines. It is tempting to slack off a bit on hill training, avoid the temptation and work hard! Training on hills improves leg-muscle strength, quickens your stride, expands stride length, develops your cardiovascular system, enhances your running economy and can even protect your leg muscles against soreness. In short, hill running will make you a stronger, faster and healthier runner.