Physical activity doesn’t just keep you fit, it can help you fight infection by strengthening your immune system.
With the COVID-19 pandemic upon us, it’s never been more important to keep our bodies and our immune systems strong, and being physically active is key. With the lockdown set to be lowered to level 4 from May 1, outdoor exercise can again resume, under strict conditions – but even if we need to return to level 5 when the pandemic peaks, it’s possible to exercise, and extremely important.
Even short breaks for exercise are beneficial
"Even a short break from sitting, by doing 3-5 minutes of physical movement every 20-30 minutes, such as walking (around the house, up and down the stairs, into the garden) or stretching will help ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation and muscle activity," notes the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Exercise also lowers inflammation in your body and promotes the release of chemicals that influence the health and development of brain cells and the blood vessels in your brain, reports Harvard Health. And it elevates your mood by releasing feel-good hormones, says Klerksdorp biokineticist Isabeau van Heerden – something we all need in stressful times.
How does exercise help boost your immune system?
But, perhaps most crucially right now, exercise helps keep your immune system working optimally. It does this by flushing bacteria from your lungs and airways, boosting the circulation of white blood cells, and raising your body temperature, all of which assist your body to fight off infection.
This is particularly important if you are older. In a video that’s gone viral since lockdown, Professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute for Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, England, tells how she’s spent the last 20 years investigating how the immune system changes with age, leaving you less able to fight infections – and what you can do about it.
Her research found that surprisingly, your immune system is helped by your muscles: they make special hormones called myokines, which help your system to find and fight infection, and make sure the inflammation that results doesn’t get out of hand.
Five simple exercises to do every day
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10 heel raises, to warm up – hold the kitchen counter for support.
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10 side-leg raises – you can keep holding the counter.
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10 chair raises – sit, then rise out of the chair, trying not to use your arms.
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10 arm raises – hold a weight (like a tin of beans) in each hand.
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Go up and down stairs, or just a single step, if that’s all you have.
For children under 5
180 minutes of physical activities. Get them romping, skipping or playing ball games
Children and adolescents aged 5 - 17
At least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, and muscle- and bone-strengthening activity. Start them dancing, skipping, and for older kids, doing squats, lunges, knee press-ups and crunches to their favourite music, or with some of the many workouts online.
Adults over 18
At least 20 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activity, plus muscle-strengthening activities two or more days a week. Climb stairs, use household chores like scrubbing, dusting and sweeping, join in an online class, or create your own routine to music, using bottles of water or bags of rice for weights.
"Start small, with anything that gets you moving, and work your way from there to higher fitness levels," says Leon van Niekerk, Professor in Sport Psychology at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape.
Remind yourself that your body, and your immune system, are benefiting!
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