Last Updated: August 27, 2022, 13:16 IST
Incorporating regular physical activity in weekly routines helps to safeguard against Covid-19
Incorporating regular physical activity in weekly routines helps to safeguard against Covid-19
While it is not surprising to know the health benefits of being physically active and regular exercising, a new study shows that it can also reduce chances of getting severely infected from the Covid-19. As the world has resumed working in offices, the virus has not gone away, and people still need to take all the necessary precautions so that they can co-exist with the virus. A study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine talks about the relationship between exercise and chances of getting infected by the virus.
Incorporating regular physical activity in weekly routines helps to safeguard against Covid-19, according to the peer reviewed examination of 16 global studies that took into consideration more than 1.8 million adults. “People who exercised regularly had an 11% lower risk of infection and a 44% lower risk of serious disease compared to their physically inactive peers,” the study said.
The researchers said that the results could help policymakers and doctors develop guidelines to help reduce the risk of Covid-19, though they noted the outcome could differ by the use of studies with different research methods and by subjective assessments of activity, and they cautioned that this study only concerned the beta and delta variants of the virus, not the omicron variants that are prevalent today.
Another study published by the National Library of Medicine highlights the importance of brisk walking and calls it an affordable, moderate-intensity activity that can be done by most people. It explains in detail the types of benefits associated with different types of exercise, for example, it tells about the inverse relationship between cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) and obesity. Exercise helps to reduce obesity, which in turn leads to a healthy heart and healthy lungs.
However, the study highlights the preventive nature of exercise and advises that if there are symptoms of the disease experienced, then exercise can be reduced according to the doctor’s instructions.
