Do’s while wearing a face mask

• Walking
• Working in Hospitals
• Bike riding
• Travelling which includes going in train, car, bus, etc,.
• Going to shops to buy essentials
• Working in Factories, Garments, etc,.

Even though we feel difficulty in breathing, it has become compulsory to wear a mask if we just want to step out of home. Of course wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it can also lead to breathing difficulties. Wearing a mask doesn’t just prevent you from spreading your germs around. It also conveys that you are doing your part by making an individual behavior choice that reduces your risk to others.

Exercising while wearing a mask is safe or unsafe?

Wearing a mask while exercising is not unsafe for all. Running or training with a mask is a good idea. Most people can perform all kind of exercises with a face mask on, Wickham says. You will want to monitor how you’re feeling while exercising and watch out for specific symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, numbness or tingling and shortness of breath. People who have cardiovascular or respiratory problems should take precautions while exercising with a face mask on. People should exercise with a mask on their face according to their health conditions. If someone has any such problems, they shall workout indoors with the objects available at home.

If you wear a mask, then you must know how to use it and dispose of it properly. WHO does not recommend that asymptomatic individuals in the community should wear medical masks. Masks are recommended to be used by symptomatic persons in the community.

So should we stop exercising?

Definitely no. Exercising during this pandemic is essential. But there are many different types of exercises which you can do indoor and there are also exercises to do outdoors with proper social distancing.

During physical activity, the body’s carbon dioxide levels rise, resulting in faster breathing and increased heart rate. The mask might trap some of this carbon dioxide inside. While levels are too low to cause poisoning, they could lead to fatigue. 

If you’re exercising outdoors, there’s no need to wear a mask if you practice proper social distancing. This means staying at least six feet away from others. But you or your kids are running, walking, or riding bike in a place where social distancing cannot be guaranteed, you should definitely wear a face mask.

Health is more important than exercise

A workout in public is never more important than public health. Exercise is especially important for physical and mental health during this anxious time, but it must be done in a way that doesn’t endanger others in your community. The purpose of wearing mask is not to protect you from catching the virus, it’s to prevent the aerosols coming out of your nose and mouth from being projected at other people.

If you’re breathing hard, you’re expelling moisture and the mask can quickly become saturated. When that happens, the filtering properties become much less effective and it becomes an inefficient barrier.

If you’re totally alone or just with people from your own household then that’s fine to go without. However, if there are other people on the trail, wear your mask as you approach and while passing and do your best to try to put as much space as you can between you and the other person. If the terrain doesn’t allow you to put a lot of distance between yourself and the other person, turn away while passing so you’re breathing in the opposite direction. If you’re just passing another person and particularly if you’re just walking and not breathing heavily then I think it’s pretty low-risk.

A 26-year-old man in Wuhan went on a jog with a face mask on ended up with a chest pain. He fell to the ground due to a collapsed lung after running two and a half miles. Doctors say his condition was caused by the high pressure on the man’s organ, due to his intense breathing while wearing the face covering. He had wanted to wear a face mask despite occasionally feeling suffocating and uncomfortable and had seen many other joggers with face-coverings.

Two teen boys died within a week of each other during compulsory physical education examinations while wearing face masks in China. One boy was wearing a surgical mask, and the other had on an N95 respirator. It couldn’t have been comfortable wearing a mask while running. Research is lacking when it comes to the use and safety of masks—whether it be a surgical mask, N95 respirator, or home-made version of various types of fabric-during physical activity. 

Conclusion

When you go for an outdoor workout with a mask, make sure to avoid touching the outside of the mask, and don’t put dirty hands on your face. If you want to rest or drink water, take the mask off if it’s safe to do so. And if you want to wipe out the sweat on your face, carry a clean cloth or a tissue but don’t wipe your face with your bare hands.

As soon as you complete your workout and come back to home, clean your hands with hand sanitizer or alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water. Then remove your mask from ear loops and immediately discard it in a closed bin. Remember not to touch the front side of you mask.