Poor Indoor Air Quality? This Is How It Affects Workouts, Recovery and Overall Health

When I experienced the Southern California wildfires in January, my outdoor and indoor air quality was affected. This was the closest I'd ever been to a wildfire and I quickly realized just how much poor air quality can affect every aspect of our lives, including our mental and physical health. Since then, I've come across the Breathe Better challenge from smart indoor air quality tech company Airthings and running, cycling and hiking app Strava, which highlighted how indoor air quality can specifically affect workouts and recovery. "Indoor environments with poor air quality such as elevated CO₂ levels, particulate matter (PM2.5) and VOCs can reduce the oxygen available to muscles and the brain," Joakim Lindh, head of strategic growth at Airthings, told CNET via email. "This leads to faster fatigue, decreased endurance and even cognitive 'brain fog' mid-exercise." I sought the insights and advice of three doctors to learn more about how poor indoor air quality can affect our workout ... Read full article.