GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Wearing a mask during exercise might not be fun, but if you find yourself in a position where you need to wear one, there are ways to ensure you are exercising effectively.
Danny King, a personal trainer and the national team development manager at Life Time, offers the following pointers for those of us wanting to stay in shape and combat COVID at the same time.
- Wearing a cloth face mask doesn’t significantly reduce the amount of oxygen you can breathe in, but it does slow the rate at which you inhale it. They may also trap more exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2), which could increase the gas in our blood, a scenario known as hypercapnia. However, for most people, the increase in CO2 does not pose a significant health risk.
- The average person can adapt to wearing a mask while exercising by focusing on proper breathing and exhaling, while also focusing on positive “self-talk”.
- You can increase the intake of nutrients your body needs to deliver oxygen to cells.
Check out our conversation with Life Time's Danny King in the video above.