If you prefer to exercise outdoors, but you’re worried that it will only make your seasonal allergies worse, your fears aren’t totally unfounded. After all, the more time you spend outside, the more likely you are to be exposed to allergens, whether you’re most sensitive in the Spring, Summer, or Fall. Even worse, if your symptoms do flare up, it can make your workouts less effective.
“If you have allergies, you can have a harder time working out because your ability to breathe out of your nose and lungs is compromised due to inflammation that affects your airways,” Payel Gupta, MD, a board-certified allergist and immunologist at ENT & Allergy Associates in New York City, told POPSUGAR. Still, exercising with allergies is possible. Here are three strategies for making it work.