Can regular exercise boost my immunity?
Most of us know that regular exercise has a positive impact on metabolism and psychological well-being. Exercising improves a host of bodily functions. Your lungs ventilate better when you exercise regularly, and the nasal mucosa is better able to moisten the incoming air. But does it also boost your immunity? Several studies show that inactive people are twice as likely to be sick as athletes. So, regular exercise helps prevent illness and boost your immunity. But is this always true?
Is there such a thing as too much exercise?
We can think of exercise as a drug that boosts our immunity. But at the same time, there is evidence that after extreme exercise, such as running a marathon or a period of prolonged exercise, our immune system is less able to fight infections.
The relationship between the amount of exercise and the risk of getting a respiratory infection follows a pattern. The risk decreases when you exercise more, but skyrockets when you go too far. A British study by immunologists found that athletes who do more than 7 to 10 hours of endurance sports a week have colds twice as often as the group that does 3 to 6 hours of endurance sports a week. Exercising fanatically increases the amount of stress hormones in your blood. Your immune system may get weakened, which allows infections to enter more easily. This is also why elite athletes are more often have a balancing act between being extremely fit and being sick.
What to do?
You obviously want to keep moving, but at the same time, it's not the best time to start exercising heavier than you did before. Of course, we don't want to discourage you from setting training goals or taking on a new challenge. Try not to go to the maximum limit for a while, but create a healthy balance between good training and strong resistance.
Sports schools
More and more gyms, fortunately, are offering the opportunity to train outdoors in small groups. There are also many good resources online for additional guidance. If you visit the gym and do a lot of strength sports, it can be difficult to maintain your normal routine. This is because not everyone has the weights they need, resulting in muscle loss. It might be interesting to see what you can achieve with your own body weight. Google the terms 'freeletics' and 'calisthenics'.
Mainly keep moving
The essence of this blog is that exercising, even when it is moderate-intensity activity such as walking, jogging, cycling, or cardio training, helps to reduce stress, improve your mood, and improves metabolism, psychological well-being, and immune system. Even if you can't do your normal workout at the gym, keeping moving in an alternative way is one of the best things you can do for yourself to ensure that you stay healthy.