Exercise and well-being during COVID 19 – time to boost your immunity

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing devastating global morbidity and mortality. Worldwide measures are taken to prevent human to human transmission and improve general health. Public lifestyle and health are affected by social distancing and isolation. A strong host immune response to the novel coronavirus is a key factor, for protection against infection and avoiding reaching severe stages of the disease.

Areas covered

Pathophysiology and the human immune response of similar coronaviruses have been previously described. The novel coronavirus has distinct clinical stages related to the immune response. Exercise improves host innate immunity and affords protection to viral infections. Exercise also mitigates the negative effects of isolation including stress, anxiety, and sedentarism, all of which further reduces immunity and increases non-communicable disease risk.

Expert opinion

Improving host immunity and mitigating the negative effects of isolation via physical activity is strongly justified. Exercise should be done in moderate intensities and volumes during the current pandemic, which is a nutritionally, psychologically, socially challenging environment in the presence of a virulent viral organism. Proactively creating innovative health promotion models with technology and government involvement with the best available evidence should be encouraged to reduce physical inactivity during the current COVID-19 pandemic and after.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• novel coronavirus
• SARS-COV-2
• pandemic
• exercise
• physical activity
• immunology
• immunity
• isolation
• social distancing
• quarantine

Article highlights

• Current strategies incorporated in preventing the spread of COVID-19 are to reduce human to the human transmission with improved hygiene, physical distancing, and isolation.

• The immune system plays a vital role in preventing an individual from contracting the novel coronavirus and progressing into a severe stage.

• The negative nutritional, psychological, socioeconomic, and behavioral effects of isolation can dampen the host immune response and metabolic health.

• The profound impact exercise has on improving the immune system, protecting the host from other similar viral infections and mitigating negative effects of isolation is well documented.

• Since the behavior of the virulent SARS-CoV-2 is still not fully understood and most people are confined to challenging environments, exercise should be done in moderate intensities and volumes, adhering to the current standard public health recommendations.

• Health promotion models developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and adoption of active living within one’s residence may positively impact long term physical activity habits once social distancing and stay at home orders are removed.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.