Fighting COVID-19 with the Movement-News-Littleton Independence

During the outbreak of COVID-19, from restaurants to churches, gyms and fitness studios, people have avoided groups gathering. Most businesses, including The Core Connection, are temporarily closed.

These precautions are necessary, but unfortunate, because exercise can strengthen a person’s immune system. It also reduces stress. This is important when inducing these stresses.

Strengthen the immune system

Little is known about the fight against COVID-19, but it has been shown that exercise helped during the previous flu pandemic.

A study of 24,656 Chinese adults who died during an influenza pandemic in Hong Kong in 1998 showed that mild to moderate exercise reduced the risk of death. Other studies performed in mice have shown that regular exercise 2-3 months prior to infection reduced the severity of the disease.

It is not clear why and how exercise increases immunity to certain diseases, but there are some theories. According to Medlineplus, physical activity can help wash out bacteria from the lungs and respiratory tract, reducing the likelihood of getting colds and flu, including COVID-19.

In addition, exercise changes antibodies and white blood cells. Antibodies are cells of the immune system that fight disease. When you exercise, these antibodies and white blood cells circulate faster in your body, so you can find and fight the disease faster than if you didn’t exercise.

In addition, our body temperature rises during exercise and then temporarily rises, preventing bacterial growth and helping the body fight infection.

And finally, exercise slows the release of stress hormones, which may also protect you from illness. Stress weakens our immune system, and exercise reduces stress.

According to the Journal of Sport and Health Science, “Stress hormones that can suppress immune cell function and inflammatory cytokines that show intense metabolic activity do not reach high levels with moderate exercise in a short period of time.” That is. “Over time, these transient exercise-induced increases in selective lymphocyte subsets enhance immune surveillance, reduce inflammation, and may be of particular clinical value for obese and affected individuals There is. “

Try this at home

Being stuck at home is not an excuse to avoid exercise.

Gyms may be closed, but many gyms offer online classes such as Core Connection. Visit our website (thecoreconnection.com) to sign up or check out our free training on the YouTube channel.

You can also develop your own workout based on available equipment and individual needs and capabilities. The previous column suggested some exercises that can be performed with little or no equipment, but can be helpful in such cases.

Push-ups, burpies, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, planks and many other exercises can be performed without equipment. Walking, for example, is one of the best exercises available to everyone, and you can get even more benefits by going out in nature and breathing fresh air. Consider changing the movement and mileage to make things attractive.

Although many retail stores are closed, you can buy yoga blocks, resistance bands, foam rollers, and other equipment online. It can also be used in exercises such as lunging, bicep curls, deadlifts, and lows, incorporating household items such as cans and laundry detergent.

Warm up at the beginning or end of your workout and stretch at the end of your workout. In the meantime, exercise all muscle groups and keep pace to keep challenging you.

After the pandemic

If you were working out before the COVID-19 pandemic, working out at home will make it easier to resume your exercise routine once the “Home Shelter” period is over.

If you are not exercising, you can start now and do something positive while at home. Hopefully, you will be able to continue exercising when the fitness center is reopened.

This is a good opportunity to develop good habits that can continue after the pandemic is over. After all, most people spend more time on hands than before COVID-19. In addition to continuing exercise, hopefully continue with the best hygiene practices established during the pandemic.

Wash your hands frequently and wipe your equipment before and after your workout. Doing so will help you and others stay healthy. This is important even when there is no coronavirus to worry about.

One advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it makes us all more aware of infections. Thorough and regular hand washing, and the use of washing equipment, will help you avoid disease at any time.

Rita Matria is the owner of the boutique fitness studio in Northborough, The Core Connection. She is a Healthy Foot Practitioner through a Certified Stot Pilates Instructor, a Certified Restoration Exercise Exercise Specialist, a Post-National Rehabilitation Exercise Specialist, and a Nutritious Movement Center. You can contact her at [email protected].