Exercise More: Get Sick Less
As if we needed ANOTHER reason for exercising daily, a new study looked at the frequency of colds/flu in people who exercised daily vs. those who didn’t.
The findings?
Out of the nearly 1000 people in the study, those who exercised at least 20 minutes per day, 5 days/week, reported being sick about half the time (5 days/year) than when compared to those who just exercised 1 day/week (8.5 days/year).
More than that — they reported 40% less severity of symptoms when they were sick.
There are several reasons for this boost in immunity. First, there is a boost in the white blood cells — considered the “army” of the body that fights that “bad” cells. Then, in addition to this boost, there is an increase circulation from exercising to carry these white blood cells around to better do their job.
Interestingly, the boost in immunity from exercise — from the increase in white blood cells — seems to last just about 3 hours. What does this tell me? Make exercise a regular part of the day; rather than focusing on just 60 minutes 1 time per day, try to also move frequently throughout the day. In addition to that longer bout of exercise, add in some frequent walks or other movement throughout the day.
It is also known that body weight is correlated to flu, cold, and illness. Well, regular exercise is of course important for controlling body weight as well.
Moral of the story, as we enter the winter months, where the likelihood of being sick increases than during other times of the year, make sure you fit exercise in on a regular basis.
November 9th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Stress innoculation by movement… Good stuff! It is cool that scientists are now linking immune system function (and consequent gene expression)… to healthy behaviors, such as consistent movement throughout the day, as mentioned in this article. John Ratey’s book “Spark! The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain”, talks about this as well, and covers how movement/exercise (at sufficient intensity levels), changes the neurochemistry of the brain… and is the best “remedy” to alleviate stress, depression, behavioral problems in children, and perhaps most importantly… improve cognitive function!
Bottom line, use it… Or lose it (body and brain). Our environment is often not conducive to being active, so find ways that you enjoy to get active on a consistent basis!
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