When the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year, our schedules were disrupted – and for many people - their healthy routines right along with it!
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to get back into a workout routine. The October weather is beautiful here in Dallas, and that opens up so many more fitness options.
Need some extra motivation? Recently, the Journal of Sport and Health Science published a review of studies into the link between the immune system and exercise. Here are some of the conclusions.
Your immune system responds pretty quickly to exercise by revving up.
Researchers found that if you do moderate to high-intensity exercise in sessions lasting an hour or less, your immune system gets an immediate short-term boost.
BUT … you also can get even MORE benefit from regular exercise because it’ll not only help improve your immune system, but also your metabolic health. And there’s something else you should know. Moderation is a good thing!
It is possible to over-stress your system so that your immune system takes a hit.
That can happen if you work out too hard for too long, like an athlete preparing for a major sporting event and not resting enough.
The researchers found it can also happen if you're under a lot of stress from things like not eating enough, not feeding your body healthy foods, not getting enough sleep, having a lot of life stress, and then beating yourself up in your workouts. All of that can set you up for getting sick.
So the takeaway is: regular exercise that lasts from 30 to 60 minutes a day helps rev up your immune system so that it can help your body fight off illness.
In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine put out a recommendation saying that very same thing back in August. They said it’s essential for people both in normal health AND with chronic conditions to “activate, maintain, and advance” their physical activity to 30 min to 60 min most days of the week. And they also said it may not be the time to train for peak performance.
Now obviously if you have any health issues and you’re planning to resume an exercise routine, or have any questions about health issues whatsoever, you should check with your doctor.
But it’s time to get back on track with your healthy habits and get those workouts going again! Are you ready?
If your workout of choice is dance fitness, take action by scheduling your next DDF workout! If you're a new dancer, sign up for a FREE first class at https://www.dallasdancefitness.com/
We have virtual and live classes – both outdoor and in studio. Join us for fun, fitness and an immune system boost!
REFERENCE:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254618301005#!%20https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/Fulltext/2020/08000/ACSM_Call_to_Action_Statement__COVID_19.8.aspx