The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time across the globe. Social distancing policies are being introduced globally, restricting people's daily activities and asking governments to stay at home. This of course means that most people will spend much (if not all) of their time at home.
These measures of social distancing mean that people have far fewer opportunities to be physically active, especially if activities such as walking or cycling as transport or participating in activities such as jogging, walking the dog, going to the gym are restricted. Furthermore, these drastic measures also make it much easier to be stuck at home for long periods of time. The effect of this physical inactivity can be seen in many areas, such as health and social care and the mental well-being of people around the world.
The reduction of activity in everyday life creates a problem for our immunity. The human immune system is a very complex network of cells and molecules designed to protect the host from infection and disease. Exercise is known to have a beneficial effect on the normal functioning of the immune system. Having higher cardiorespiratory fitness scores and performing regular moderate to high intensity exercise have been shown to improve immune response to vaccination, reduce chronic low-grade inflammation, and improve various immune markers in several disease states including cancer, HIV, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment, and obesity.
Glucocorticoids such as cortisol are elevated during periods of isolation and restraint and can inhibit many critical functions of our immune system. When we are stressed, the ability of our T cells to proliferate in response to infectious agents is greatly reduced, as is the ability of certain effector lymphocytes (e.g., NK cells and CD8+ T cells) to recognize and kill cells in our bodies that have become cancerous or have been infected with viruses. It is also vital that our immune cells retain the ability to redistribute themselves so that they can "patrol" vulnerable areas in or body (e.g. upper respiratory tract and lungs) to prevent the entry of viruses and other pathogens. This process is also important for minimizing the impact of the virus and for speeding up the fight against the virus if we become infected.
Although social distancing measures are important and necessary in times like these, our bodies and minds need physical activity and its great benefits more than ever.
Physical activity (PA) is defined as any movement of the body produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. There are two components of physical activity to consider:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important for all people to be physically active. This way we will be able to achieve:
There are many benefits of physical activity. These include:
Often strength and balance training is forgotten as part of physical activity and many people focus only on the aerobic component (cardio) and its benefits.
The benefits of strength and balance training include:
Despite all these benefits, physical inactivity costs 5.3 million lives per year worldwide. It is therefore important to find ways to limit the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the wider impact it will have on long-term chronic disease. Although exercise may not prevent us from becoming infected if we are exposed, keeping active would strengthen our immune systems to help minimize the harmful effects of the virus, relieve our symptoms, speed recovery time, and reduce the likelihood of infecting others with whom we come into contact.
This is why at OKTO we prepare our patients' bodies and minds to successfully and efficiently deal with the virus, through a system of targeted exercises designed to develop the body's capacity in every aspect.
