Activity immunity: exercise for immunity booster

Research shows that, in the long term, the risk of infection is reduced with moderate-intensity exercise .

It’s not entirely clear how this happens, but there are a few theories:

• During exercise / jogging , the protective cells circulate faster through the body, allowing them to attack and eliminate bacteria, viruses and fungi .
• An increase in body temperature while running can inhibit the growth of bacteria in the body.
• Running helps get rid of bacteria and viruses in the lungs that cause upper respiratory tract infections.
• The increased loss of sweat and urine during exercise causes the carcinogens to be eliminated from the body more quickly.
• Moderate exercise strengthens the body’s immune system to attack viral malignancies . As a result, there is a lower incidence of colon cancer and breast cancer among active people.

Note that this is a moderate exercise, not a finishing exercise.

This is very well illustrated below:

This is called Model J by Professor David Nieman, a pioneer in the field of exercise immunology research. He is a runner himself and has run almost 60 marathons in his life. The professor showed that there is a relationship between the intensity and duration of runs and the immune function .

As can be seen in the graph.

Moderately intense workouts tend to strengthen the immune system . For active people, this means running for an hour at a constant pace. However, running 20 km or more or running until exhausted can temporarily weaken the immune system.

So regular, moderate exercise increases immunity and reduces the risk of infection.

This is very good news for all of us. :)))

During periods of increased disease, remember to :

• – Include recovery time and sleep in your training plan.
• – Do not do workouts that are much more difficult than before.
• – Monitor closely for early symptoms of illness and / or overtraining and adjust training accordingly.
• – Avoid gyms with crowds and potential pathogens. Rather run outside.
• – Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
• – Learn to manage stress.

These recommendations were prepared by Dr. David C. Nieman and Laurel M. Wentz and published in a 2019 article in The Journal of Sport and Health Science entitled “The compelling link between physical activity and the body’s defense system ,”

Scientists have also developed several universal recommendations for maintaining a strong immune system:

• – Remember to eat a well- balanced diet to maintain optimal levels of vitamins and minerals in your body.
• – Avoid large crowds for 1-2 weeks after a marathon or ultramarathon. You are more prone to infection at this time.
• – Wash your hands with warm soapy water and do not touch your face and eyes, especially in periods of high disease.
• – Don’t exercise in a group if you have an infection to avoid spreading it to other people.
• – Provide adequate sleep at regular hours. Disrupted sleep depresses immunity.
• – Try to keep your stress to a minimum as there is a link between high levels of stress and getting an infection.