NEW DELHI: If breathing the city's toxic air is akin to smoking 25–30 cigarettes a day, a morning walk in the haze could make you feel like a chronic smoker even if you haven't touched a cigarette in your lifetime. With the air quality slipping into ‘very poor' category in general and ‘severe' in some areas, doctors warn that outdoor exercise in the early hours may do you more harm than good. During high-pollution days, especially when the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses 300, outdoor physical activity exposes one to high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). These microscopic pollutants penetrate deep into the lungs and can aggravate respiratory and heart conditions.

"On such days, walking and jogging in the morning expose your lungs to these pollutants," said Dr N

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