Spring is officially in the air – there’s more daylight hours (at least after work for the time being), it’s starting to warm up, and allergies are starting to go bonkers! This is in no way meant to be an endorsement of any specific allergy relief treatment or allergy avoidance regimen (always talk to your doctor about those things), but there are a few things to consider during allergy season:
1) Do you have certain side effects to certain medications? Some allergy medications have a track record for making people drowsy, foggy, or otherwise “off on their game” – which can be a problem when you step into the gym and think you’re going to coordinate certain parts of your body in unison. Know what YOUR specific reactions are to medications and plan your workouts accordingly.
2) Pollen is usually at its lowest levels in the morning. If you can, it might be a good time to shift your workouts to the early morning hours to avoid being bombarded by pollen and ending your workout with a red face and bulging eyeballs.
3) Don’t dry your clothes outside on high pollen days. Sounds weird, but if you have allergies, there’s nothing worse than drying your sheets or favorite shirt out in the pollen ridden fresh air, then wearing it or sleeping in it.
4) Just like flu season, be sure to thoroughly wash your hands and don’t touch your face. You don’t want to accidentally get pollen in your eye or nose – ugh.