My Journey With Health And Fitness – Watching The Air Quality

Today at bootcamp it was supposed to be power hour which is a strength training class. The instructor had decided to set up a circuit with 8 different stations. Once again we had to partner up with someone and this time it was someone that I probably had 35 years on (and she was at least a head taller than me). The instructor said there was no cardio involved but I call BS! Let me assure you when you are doing squats that involve straightening up and throwing a 20 lb medicine ball over your shoulder there will be cardio involved.

Those of you not living in BC may not know that we have once again been going through significant wildfires in our interior. I want to start with the fact my heart goes out to all of the families that have lost there homes/businesses. I cannot image how hard this must be for you. Sadly, this year I actually have a friend who has lost a home and I hope her and her family can recover from this.

When we get these massive wildfires happening often time the smoke will travel several hundred kilometers to the Metro Vancouver area. For example on Sunday when the sun came up it looked like a pink ball in the sky. It can also make it extremely difficult to breath. I for one do not even think of running when the sky is filled with smoke. You actually don’t need to be told the air quality is bad, you go outside and the first thing you smell is the smoke. Still, the authorities are pretty good about blasting out air quality advisories.

One of the seniors in my walking group has severe asthma. It did not surprise me the least yesterday when she sent me a text saying she wouldn’t be doing the walk and I thought that was a wise move on her part. When the air quality gets like this it is important vulnerable people stay inside and that the rest of us limit our outdoor activities as much as possible.

Today was a much improved day for our air quality but they are predicting the advisories may be back in place tomorrow. Here’s hoping for the weather to cooperate and for the wildfires to get under control.