Keeping Fit During Lockdown Can Benefit Your Immune System

man working out at home

Keeping Fit During Lockdown Can Benefit Your Immune System

The lockdown measure is crucial in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. However, many of us are feeling the impact both on our mental and physical well-being.

But why should we try keeping fit during lockdown? We’ve all heard how being sedentary is bad for our health, so staying active during these difficult and strange times is important.

Exercising can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, which in turn can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. When we exercise regularly, we also help maintain muscle mass and bone density.

But what many of us didn’t know is that physical activity can also help boost our immune system, something that is highly important these days.

Here is how keeping fit during lockdown help improve our immune system:

  • It helps flush bacteria out of our lungs and airways
  • Exercise increases white blood cell circulation. White blood cells are the ones who help our body fight disease. While we exercise these cells more quickly and can help detect illnesses faster.
  • During exercise, our body temperature rises. This temporary rise in body temperature may prevent bacteria from growing, and therefore it helps our bodies fight infection better
  • Physical activity slows down the release of stress hormones. Too much stress increases the chance of illness, so reducing our stress levels can help us stay healthy
family working out together

Keeping Fit During Lockdown Gives You Even More Health Benefits

Exercising is also a great way to ward off some of the psychological effects, including depression and anxiety, of being cooped up at home for a long time.

Because of the public health crisis we are facing, going to the gym is not possible. Thankfully, there are many ways to stay active even during the lockdown.

You can try one or several of the following as long as you maintain a safe distance from other people:

  • Bicycling with your kids a few times a week
  • Taking daily 20 to 30-minute walks
  • Going for a run in the park
family walking their dog

How Can I Get Tested for the Coronavirus?

If you can’t or don’t feel up to leaving the house to get some exercise, there are also lots of good options to stay physically active at home. Many of these activities don’t even require any special equipment, so don’t worry about having to spend money.

If you already own a stationary bike or a treadmill, then try to use it for 30-minutes at least three times a week. If not, then we have a few suggestions for you to try.

  • Walk briskly through your home for 10 minutes. You can even do this two or three times a day
  • If your home has stairs go and up down them several times in a row
  • Dance, dance, dance! Put on some music and dance around the house, either alone, with your spouse or kids. Dancing will get the blood flowing and help you get in a better mood
  • Borrow your kids skipping rope and skip around the driveway
  • Dust-off those long-forgotten Pilates, fitness, yoga, or tai chi DVDs
  • Subscribe to a YouTube fitness channel or download a free fitness app
  • Do a few sets of squats or sit-to-stands from a sturdy chair, push-ups against a wall, and lunges or single-leg step-ups on the house stairs
woman exercising with her child

Need Help? Rural County Contacts

While exercising is good for you, you should be careful not to overdo it. If you already exercise regularly, you should not exercise more just to try to boost your immune system.

Heavy, long-term exercise can cause more harm than good as you become more prone to injuries. The good news is Altus Emergency Centers remain open 24/7 even during this health crisis.

We are here to help you recover from simple sports injuries to more severe conditions such as heart attacks. For your peace of mind and protection, we follow the strictest sanitary protocols, so please, if you need medical attention, don’t hesitate to come to our ER’s.

Know Where to Go in Case of an Emergency.

Altus Emergency Room Baytown

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