When being healthy becomes less green: The context-dependent carbon consequences of physical exercise and the moderating role of urban intelligence

Although physical exercise is widely regarded as a health-promoting behavior, its unintended environmental consequences call for a more nuanced understanding of a green lifestyle. Drawing on data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study employs an input–output method to estimate household carbon emissions and examines the environmental effects of regular exercise participation. The results show that higher exercise frequency is positively associated with household carbon emissions. This pattern is consistent with pathways related to sports consumption, social influence, and energy use linked to travel and exercise services. Using smart city pilot status and urban artificial intelligence development level as moderating variables, the analysis further suggests that urban intelligence can mitigate the carbon impact of exercise behavior. Heterogeneity tests indicate that this positive association is more pronounced in households with poorer health status, employed heads, and urban occupation backgrounds. Overall, the study provides micro-level evidence supporting the existence of a green paradox in healthy lifestyle practices and highlights urban intelligence as an important contextual factor in shaping the exercise-emissions relationship.