The current Covid-19 pandemic is not only deadly but that it can also cause a myriad of complications in many patients. A new preventive medicine study from the University of Virginia, however, has shown that regular exercise is crucial for preventing and reducing Covid-19 complications.
The fact that exercise is good for us is no secret to anyone. This study was done to highlight how regular exercise is even more important now.
Zhen Yan, the director of the Center for Skeletal Muscle Research at the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center says that ~30 minutes of intense cardiovascular workouts every day are very beneficial for the prevention of respiratory diseases such as Covid-19. Especially during a stay of quarantine and limited exercise opportunities.
“We cannot live in isolation forever,” said Yan. “Regular exercise has far more health benefits than we know. The protection against this severe respiratory disease condition is just one of the many examples.”
In his interview with Newsweek, Yan listed several types of aerobics that can achieve that goal and that are doable even while adhering to social distancing norms. Some of his examples were running, biking, and rowing – these and more are proven to be great at preventing or reducing the severity of ARDS – Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrom.
This is crucial because ARDS is one of the most common complications with Covid-19. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention between 20% and 42% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients also develop ARDS.
Even if you don’t want to or can’t exercise outdoors, the quarantine isn’t something that should prevent you from getting regular cardiovascular exercise every day. A good example of that is Marty Kelly – a trainer from Ireland who’s also a boxing coach in New York City. Marty has been posting workout videos from his home twice a day during the quarantine.
Marty insists that regular exercise isn’t just important for the body but also for the mind as exercise can help people cope with the stress and the anxiety during the pandemic. Or, as he puts it, “To win physically, first you have to win mentally.”
Marty also adds that “I’ve taken the mentality and transferred into my coaching and training of others, it’s not just a physical workout it is a mental work out also. We need to stay strong and fight this thing head on, we need to be mentally tough for ourselves and loved ones, stay active, keep moving for walks, online workouts, whatever it takes to move.”
Stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental healthcare issues are on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent financial and market crisis. Fortunately, regular exercise has been shown to be invaluable in fighting off those conditions as well.