We have been told to stay home and away from others. Or at least six feet away from others when we do go out. We are allowed to exercise outdoors during this difficult time. If you are in a rural area avoiding other people is easier. If you are a runner it shouldn’t be impossible to get around people. If you are in a city, perhaps you can drive to a park or other less populated area. Maintaining muscle strength is very important as well. Which can be done at home easily.
Building and maintaining a healthy immune system through exercise and nutrition is critical. The research literature is clear when it comes to the benefits of exercise on the immune system. Regular, moderately intense endurance exercise improves immune responses. This includes things like brisk walking, slow jogging, climbing stairs and dancing. The speed at which you perform these exercises is different for everyone because we are at different fitness levels.
Thinking of doing this with your friends isn’t allowed. This is people-to-people contact. Sweat, saliva, close contact. This is how COVID spreads.
But the idea is to do moderate-intensity exercise which means you are moving in a way that burns off three to six times as much energy every minute compared to sitting and watching Netflix, reading or watching your plants grow.
USE THE TALK TEST
If you can talk, but not sing, then you are hitting the moderate-intensity zone.
USE SIMPLE MATH TO ESTIMATE
Aim to hit a target heart rate between 64 and 76 percent of your maximum heart rate. A simple method to estimate your max heart rate and moderate intensity based on your age, use this easy formula:
220 less your age = your maximum heart rate (beats per minute).
Max heart rate: 220 less your age (example 220 – 38 years = 182 (beats per minute)
Low-end of moderate intensity target (example 182 x 0.64 = 116)
High-end of moderate intensity target (estimate 182 x 0.76 – 138)
USE TECHNOLOGY
Some fitness devices are geared toward your intensity zones, so just make sure you calibrate your device correctly and you understand those zones to make sure you are getting accurate readings.
EXERCISE AND IMMUNITY
Don’t start an intense training regimen if you are out of shape or not well. Build up slowly. One of the big mistakes for beginners is to go too hard too soon. Give your body time to adapt and lower your risk of burn out and injury by easing into it. Always work with your doctor when starting a new exercise program. Or even if you had been away from it for a long time.
Make sure you take time to rest and recover after periods of exercise. Your immune system works best when it isn’t stressed. At the same time, your stress hormone cortisol may go up, which may interfere with the ability of certain immune cells to work right.
Researchers found that regular walking may lead to a higher number of white blood cells, which fight infections. In another study, researchers found that in 65-year of age who did regular exercise, the number of T-cells (a specific type of white blood cell) was as high as those of people in their 30s. And exercise helps decrease your chances of developing heart disease. It also helps to keep your bones healthy and strong.
Some of the theories that have been formulated but not proven, reports that physical activity may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. Your lungs and heart will become stronger with regular exercise. This may reduce your chances of getting a cold, flu, or other illnesses.
The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing. This temperature rise may help the body fight infection better. This is similar to what happens when you have a fever.
SUPPORTING MUSCLE IS ONE ROLE OF VITAMIN D
In studies done on mice, researchers found that mice missing the vitamin D receptor only in myocytes (muscle cells) had smaller muscles and they were less strong. They also had significantly decreased running speed and didn’t run as far as mice with normal vitamin D action.
Lead researcher at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Professor Jenny Gunton says, “we show that vitamin D receptor is present in low levels in normal muscle, and our study found that deleting muscle cell vitamin D receptors had important effects on muscle function.”
Professor Gunton found that mice missing muscle cell vitamin D receptors had normal body size but less muscle mass and more fat mass.
“In terms of choosing to run on a wheel in their cage, the mice had shorter running distance and slower speed. These might contribute to the lower muscle mass and increase in fat.”
“In terms of muscle strength, these mice also had a significantly decreased grip strength from a very early age.”
While more research is needed, Professor Gunton says that these results suggest that maintaining normal vitamin D signaling in muscle is important for preserving muscle bulk and function.
“These findings also have the potential to open up avenues to pursue new therapies that target muscle cell vitamin D receptors. These therapies could help to address or prevent age-related sarcopenia (degenerative loss of skeletal muscle mass) and other disorders related to muscle function.”
Further information can be found at Westmead Institute for Medical Research. “Muscling in on the role of vitamin D: Research shows vitamin D signaling is needed for normal muscle size and strength.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 June 2019. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190626125107.htm.
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