With the Covid pandemic now spreading and the inevitability that we may all contract it, there seems to be something you can do to help your outcome if you do contract Covid. In my opinion something that is not being promoted sufficiently by our government and Health officials is – good old fashioned exercise!
The importance of exercise and its health benefits is maybe more relevant now then it has ever been.
As a body therapist I have witnessed what a sedentary lifestyle can do to a body and mind. The benefits of exercise and healthy eating are very wide reaching, and includes, benefits to ones mind body and ones “spirit”.
This connection of exercise’s wide health effecting arch in many ways is only recently being discovered or proven by science, yet has been known for thousands of years throughout many Traditional Medical approaches and cultures throughout Asia and indeed most traditional cultures around the world.
Although you may be completely healthy and fit, after contracting Covid 19 some people unfortunately still develop life threatening complications from the virus, long Covid and death.
However I do believe common scene and emerging studies and evidence indicates quiet strongly that exercise and good dietary intake can have a very beneficial effect on your chances of avoiding severe Covid and accompanying conditions such as lung transplants, kidney renal failure etc.
The link below directs you to a study conducted by Health care providers Kaiser Permanete in California which analyzed data of over 48,000 adults who had been their patients for at least 6 months before contracting Covid 19 between January to October 2020 and data they had already about there exercise/activity level. (yes this is the first wave and Delta is a different variant of Covid, but I think a similar statistic will be found once a more recent review of data is updated.)
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/does-exercise-help-protect-against-severe-covid-19-202106092475
Although further research is needed to confirm their findings, they found people who were more inactive had a significant higher risk of hospitalization, ICU admission and death, after contracting Covid 19 than those who did moderate to strenuous exercise- (brisk walk or more) – for 150 minutes or more a week.
I believe it is the failure of the Government, State and Federal; and their health ministers, for not promoting or providing the emerging links to good eating and exercise in relation to Covid. Also, the benefits extend to a reduced rate of almost all other health conditions – which will mean a reduced risk of presenting to the Emergency Department – which is best to avoid if the health system ends up being over run and compromised from Covid, as in such a situation the Triage system could leave you without the ideal care.
Other studies have also shown there is an amazing health benefit to exercise for many mental health illness’s such as Anxiety and Depression and is often as effective as the pharmacological drugs prescribed for these conditions.
Also the greatly reduced deposits of Amyloid peptides associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
There does seem to be some conflicting opinions on whether to exercise or not when you have Covid. It seems that high intensity should be avoided completely. Always consult with your health care professionals when you contract Covid as whether to mildly or moderately exercise or not; this may be dependent on your individual symptoms, severity, Covid mutation/variant and current study findings.
Dr Metzl, and physical therapist DPT Sharlynn Tuohy explain in the following link that exercise whilst having Covid 19 is not recommended at this stage as unlike exercising to sweat out a common cold, the added strain on the heart from Covid could complicate inflammation in the body and possibly assist a clot traveling to your lungs. https://news.hss.edu/can-you-exercise-with-covid/
Returning to intense exercise after having Covid at this stage seems to also be a cautionary staged event no less then 7 days after all symptoms have completely dissipated because of the complications of inflammation that Covid presents and is explained in this link. https://www.colorado.edu/health/2020/10/26/4-things-know-about-exercising-after-covid-19
From what I recall, China was the first country to trial exercise with Covid patients, with Traditional Chinese Exercise and dancing exercise in Hospital. It is mentioned in the following link which shows there can be benefit to Early mobilization and exercises for mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.
The study analyzed numerous studies, articles and data bases on the topic. And is well worth the read.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7955568/
In the article it states-
“it is worth mention that moderate-intensity continuous training improves immune function biomarkers [56] and may optimise the functional integrity of the immune system to prevent or attenuate the severity of infection, especially among vulnerable populations with immune-compromised conditions [57]. Otherwise, high-intensity prolonged exercise leads to immunosuppression” [58].
It goes on to say – “Since Covid-19 is a new disease, there is still no robust scientific evidence to define the different aspects of early mobilization and physical exercise in affected patients. However, through our search we were able to verify, based on previous knowledge of the physiological effects of exercise, as well as on studies that investigated the safety and efficacy in patients with clinical situations similar to Covid-19, that exercise can probably be beneficial throughout pandemic context.”
From a Traditional Chinese/Japanese perspective Spring is the ideal season to get moving as yang warms up the earth and body. There has never been a better time and motivation to start if you have not already. Consult your health expert if you have any underlying heath conditions.
Make it fun, some dancing to your favorite music, go for a walk with little bursts of jogging in the bush –Studies have also revealed added benefit of exercise in nature compared to exercise in the man made environment. Start slow don’t push yourself to hard to begin with. Do a little more each day. Aim for 30 minutes 5 times a week or 22 minutes a day. Lead yourself up to where you feel that heart beating and feel the lungs capacity you forgot you had. Don’t look into those misrepresenting and often lying mirrors, just stick to it, eventually you will feel and see the results and get a little addicted to the pharmaceutical manufacturing your brain chemistry provides you as a result.
In good health, enjoy!
– Renewed Spirit
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