Environmental

As I write this, I am less than two weeks away from my highly anticipated family vacation. We will be going with two other families, so the usual abundant memories should be double. However, being the fitness enthusiast that I am, there is a bit of anxiety about visiting the “Happiest Place On Earth”. This is due to the fact that the Los Angeles metropolitan area has placed #1 on the list for most ozone pollution for the fifth consecutive year. As well, it has a detrimental amount of particle matter (soot, among other things) and is also the smoggiest city in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association. With this information I am betting that the fit folks of Los Angeles either seek shelter while working up a sweat or they endure burning lungs and reel from inadequate amounts of oxygen while exercising outdoors.

Air pollution can greatly impact an individual’s cardiovascular efficiency in many ways. This is due to the pollutant’s (e.g., carbon monoxide, ozone, etc.) ability to infiltrate the respiratory system. During normal breathing, most people will use their nose to channel oxygen to their lungs. This route serves as a filtering vessel utilizing your mucous membranes to snag particle matter as well as soluable gases before they can penetrate through to your lungs. When someone is performing a higher impact activity (e.g., running), there is an inclination to begin mouth breathing. This act bypasses your body’s natural filtration process and more pollutants are received into the lungs. From the lungs, the pollutants will circulate throughout the body via the bloodstream. The results include bronchial vasoconstriction (airway opening becomes smaller), lung tissue can be compromised from alveoli damage and the capacity for oxygen transport is decreased. The exercising individual will experience less oxygen entering the bloodstream, which will result in an inadequate supply of oxygenated blood to the muscles. End game is that the physical performance of that individual will be substantially compromised. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who has had reason to use a washroom outside of his own home or work place for the past 20 years will have to agree that modern washrooms found in air ports, public places like malls, and other areas have been changed. The bathroom facilities are more ergonomically designed. The addition of paper seat covers are in keeping with the interest in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Soap dispensers that release a small amount of soap, usually with a disinfectant, instead of bars of soap are cleaner and more apt to be used by those who wash their hands after using the toilet. And, the air dryer for hands that is sometimes used along with the availability of paper towels makes the modern washroom environment a very pleasant experience.

Of course, if you consider the washrooms in some places that are attended by aids who will have a towel ready for you, the washroom environment hasn’t changed that much. For the most part, modern washroom environments are designed to keep the washroom cleaner because the facilities that are offered are packaged in a way that allows for an easier manner of usage without the bother of worrying about those persons who don’t flush the toilet, don’t rinse out the bar of soap, and flush water all around the wash bowl when washing their hands. Read the rest of this entry »