Stop! This is not just another boring post about COVID-19! If you’re fearing for your health, and want to defend yourself? Then you need to read this article!
As case numbers begin to grow it can seem overwhelming, much of this pandemic is outside our control and it’s concerning. However, in times of crisis it’s important to focus on the things we can do and what is inside our control. Sure supplementation and herbal medicines can provide some immune boosting benefits, but what is often overlooked are the simplest of things.
This week we’ll explore some of the benefits that been discovered on how regular exercise can offer protection against COVID-19.
As Fallon (2020) states, “Areas that could benefit from exercise are: risk of viral infection, symptoms related to anxiety and depression, weight maintenance, and ongoing prevention and management of chronic disease.”
As we push further into this pandemic, we are beginning to understand the impacts it’s having on our mental health. It’s quite hard not to be affected by this. However, as a health practitioner I must focus on what the evidence is trying to tell us, to make the most effective clinical recommendations for my my clients.
Mental health aspects
When we think about the benefits of exercise. What would you think of?
Immediately physical benefits come to mind: healthier heart, bigger stronger muscles, weight-loss etc. Funnily enough, it turns out regular exercise also protects against the mental health aspects of COVID-19. In a Portuguese study, they observed that by exercising regularly, reducing your exposure to information about COVID-19, improving living conditions & maintenance of work, all had preventative effects against anxiety, depression and stress (Moreira et al., 2021).
It decreases the mortality rate of the FLU, so why not COVID?
Well that’s lovely ! But COVID 19 still has some very real life threatening physical symptoms. These symptoms resemble a viral respiratory tract infection similar to the Influenza virus. Relatedly, prior research has shown that low to moderate intensity exercise prevents influenza associated mortality (Wong et al., 2008). Is it then possible for COVID-19, which is also a viral respiratory tract infection, exercise can have a protective effect?
Some research from Goulart et al, (2021) seems to agree with this notion. This is because regular daily exercise appears to increase production of various anti-inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, (Goulart et al., 2021).
You may be asking yourself, “That’s great, but why should I care?”.
I’m glad you asked :)
Well it seems some of these cytokines, namely Interleukin (IL-1,IL-4 & IL-10), have all shown the ability to suppress our immune system’s pro-inflammatory reaction to the COVID-19 virus, thus promoting tissue repair, particularly in the lungs and preventing immune over-reactivity (Leandro, Fereira-Silva, & Lima-Silva, 2020). This overactivity of the immune system is responsible for the cascade of bad events that happen in someone’s body who has severe COVID 19.
In plain english, the chemicals that are released during exercise appear to be very protective against infections from viruses!
This becomes even more important into old age, when the immune system begins to decline. Again, it seems regular exercise throughout the lifespan can have a protective effect against viral infections. This is because exposing yourself to different forms of exercise consistently throughout life creates improvements to our immune system over time (Guerra Minuzzi et al., 2020).
So you’re probably thinking too little, too late right? Wrong again!
There is now emerging evidence suggesting that aerobic exercise programs running 3- 5 times weekly, for a minimum of 8 weeks can also offer some protective effects against respiratory tract infections. This is important information given the elderly and immunosuppressed patients are the most likely to die from COVID-19. Perhaps, exercise therapy could be used as a supportive preventative measure?
With all this evidence racking up, it’s pretty plain to see that increasing your physical activity is going to give you a protective effect against this virus!
If you have made it this far into the article then I can tell that you’re serious about defending yourself against viruses and will do whatever it takes to become healthier and protect yourself! But perhaps you’re not sure where to start when it comes to getting into a frequent health & exercise regime? This is where lifestyle-based medicine comes in.
Lifestyle-based medicine offers a deeper look at your activity levels, diet, physiological and psychological stress levels and your emotional wellbeing. By delving into these areas we can discover the best ways to optimise your routine toward your hopes, dreams and health goals.
Your immune system needs your help!
Having been there and done it myself (I lost almost 50kg!) I have a proven way to help you lose weight and boost your immune system in as little as a few weeks!
Don’t let 2022 become a worse year than 2021 was for your health!
Book in to see me today, a qualified lifestyle-based medicine expert with lived experience of losing weight, gaining energy, health and muscle!
Until next time,
Sincerely yours,
Brock ‘The Badger’ Dagellis
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Reference List
Dixit, S. (2020). Can moderate intensity aerobic exercise be an effective and valuable therapy in preventing and controlling the pandemic of COVID-19? Medical Hypotheses, 143, 109854–109854. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MEHY.2020.109854
Fallon K. (2020). Exercise in the time of COVID-19. Australian journal of general practice, 49, 10.31128/AJGP-COVID-13. https://doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-COVID-13
Goulart, C. D. L., Silva, R. N., Oliveira, M. R., Guizilini, S., Rocco, I. S., Mendez, V. M. F., … Borghi-Silva, A. (2021). Lifestyle and rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic: guidance for health professionals and support for exercise and rehabilitation programs. Https://Doi.Org/10.1080/14787210.2021.1917994, 19(11), 1385–1396. https://doi.org/10.1080/14787210.2021.1917994
Guerra Minuzzi, L., Teixeira, A. M., Thomatieli-Santos, R. V, Rosa-Neto, J. C., & Lira, F. S. (2020). Immunometabolism and Covid-19: Could Lifelong Exercise Training Have a Protective Effect? https://doi.org/10.20900/immunometab20210001
Leandro, C. G., Ferreira E Silva, W. T., & Lima-Silva, A. E. (2020). Covid-19 and Exercise-Induced Immunomodulation. Neuroimmunomodulation, 27(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1159/000508951
Moreira, P. S., Ferreira, S., Couto, B., Machado-Sousa, M., Fernández, M., Raposo-Lima, C., … Morgado, P. (2021). Protective Elements of Mental Health Status during the COVID-19 Outbreak in the Portuguese Population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, Vol. 18, Page 1910, 18(4), 1910. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH18041910
Wong, C. M., Lai, H. K., Ou, C. Q., Ho, S. Y., Chan, K. P., Thach, T. Q., … Peiris, J. S. M. (2008). Is Exercise Protective Against Influenza-Associated Mortality? PLOS ONE, 3(5), e2108. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0002108
