Welcome to the Get Fit Guys, quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

My name is Ben Greenfield, and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

Now, this week, the American Long Association reported the results of their measurement

of the levels of ozone and soot particles in the air

in almost 1,000 U.S. cities and counties.

Well, no surprises here, but Los Angeles, sorry to all you L.A. listeners, is near the top of the

most polluted list.

And not too far behind are the cities of Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Cincinnati, New York, Washington,

Philadelphia, and St. Louis.

The cleanest cities, which actually did not have a single day of unhealthy levels of ozone

or particle pollution, were Bismarck, North Dakota, Rapid City, South Dakota, and the

Fort Myers and Palm Beach areas of Florida.

Well, whether your city is clean or dirty, you've no doubt at some point in your life,

walked or run by the side of the road, and experienced that intoxicating inhale of truck or car

exhaust. And if you're a recreational runner, cyclist,

walker, or do any other mode of exercise in a polluted area or near a busy road, you should know

whether that polluted air may be causing some damage to your body or your lungs. So in today's

episode, you'll discover how pollution affects exercise and

what you can do about it. Let's first take a look at what research has to say about what

happens to your lungs, body, and bloodstream when you exercise in a polluted environment.

A 2004 review of pollution studies worldwide, which was conducted in Australia,

found that even low levels of airborne pollutants cause lung damage similar to the damage

...