Sitting at home all day, working from home, we know that you all must be feeling cooped up, and the mere thought of exercising feels like climbing a mountain. But it is very important to take breaks, from continuously working at one place, from the nonstop coronavirus news alerts and anxiety cycle, to exercise or workout.
During these tough times, it is critically important to have a strong immunity which is serving as the only internal barrier, protecting you from seasonal illnesses in the wake of COVID-19. People across the globe are consuming immunity boosting drinks and eatables to build stronger immunity against COVID-19. But truth be told, there is no magic pill or supplement that gives your immune system superpowers. Simply because our immune system is not one single cell, rather an entire system. So, all those ‘immunity-boosting supplements’ can sometimes prove disappointing in providing results.
Many of you all must be thinking: Does exercise build immunity against COVID-19? First, let’s talk about ‘exercise’ and if at all it builds immunity.
Does exercise build immunity?
According to a study: Physical exercise as a tool to help the immune system against COVID-19 – “The practice of physical activities strengthens the immune system, suggesting a benefit in response to viral communicable diseases.”
It is not new that physical fitness is thought of as one of the most important ways to live a healthy life. Several diseases including the ones of respiratory and heart can be tackled with exercises and physical activities. And by physical activity, we mean low to moderate intensity workouts/exercises depending upon your ability/age.
Exercising is a way of flushing out toxins from the body through sweat. Physical activity can give your immune system a great boost in several ways. Several studies have proven that exercise improves the immune and metabolic systems. Exercising on a regular basis increases your body’s production of antibodies and T-cells, which in turn circulate more rapidly throughout the body. Sweating is good for immune health because when you sweat, your body temperature increases which helps your body to kill pathogens.
Does exercise boost immunity against COVID-19?
“Despite the lack of accurate data on how physical activity improves the immune response against the new coronavirus, there is evidence of lower rates of ARI incidence, duration, and intensity of symptoms and risk of mortality from infectious respiratory diseases in individuals who exercise at high levels appropriate.”
Although currently there is no scientific data available regarding the effects of exercise on SARS-CoV-2, the available evidence indicates that exercise can protect the host from many other viral infections including influenza, rhinovirus (another cause of the common cold), and herpesviruses.
The body’s immune system is, at the moment, the most effective weapon people have against COVID-19. But you need to keep in mind that being physically fit is not fail-safe protection against the disease.
Conclusion
Our suggestion? It is better to exercise for a strong immune system instead of just relying on immunity boosters, in these difficult times. There are so many beginners, intermediate, and advanced at-home exercises, that you can easily do at home just a few meters away from your comfortable couch.