Your friends, family, and doctor have most likely previously emphasized the significance of exercise to you; but if you haven’t already embraced a more active lifestyle, you should seriously consider doing so now while you are isolated due to COVID-19. You don’t need a lot of space to lift weights, ride a stationary bike, or practice yoga, so lack of space isn’t an excuse. More significantly, you will feel better, both while in quarantine and after you return to your normal life.
Exercise is even more important for those who have additional health problems, such as high blood pressure, or Type 2 Diabetes.
Long periods of inactivity may not only aggravate these health issues, forcing a dangerous trip to the doctor’s office or emergency room, but they may also make fending off a COVID-19 infection more difficult.
What Exactly Is COVID-19?
In case you haven’t been keeping up with the newest developments in the worldwide pandemic, here are some key facts concerning COVID-19:
- COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new virus discovered in Wuhan, China.
- COVID-19, like other respiratory diseases such as influenza or the common cold, is spread by respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing, or direct contact.
- It is conceivable for the coronavirus to survive in the air and on surfaces for an unknown period.
- COVID-19 is frequently accompanied by fever, cough, and troubled breathing, but it may also be asymptomatic.
- Although the elderly and those with pre-existing illnesses are more at risk of dying, anybody can become infected and die.
- COVID-19 incubation time might range from 2 to 14 days.
- Seek medical attention right away if you develop any of the following symptoms –
- Breathing difficulty
- Persistent chest discomfort or pressure
- Inability to arouse or mental disarray
- Blue-tinged lips or skin
The easiest method to protect yourself from COVID-19 is to stay at home and have little interaction with anybody other than your close family. If you must leave your house, keep a minimum of six feet between you and anybody else, and wear a face mask to avoid transmitting germs.
Why Should You Remain in Quarantine?
It may not be clear why you must remain in isolation during this pandemic, but there are several compelling reasons. Of course, the most essential reason is that COVID-19 is highly infectious, and you don’t want to catch it from anybody else. It is worth noting that the Ro of COVID-19 is around 5.8, whereas the Ro of influenza is merely 1.3. This indicates that one person infected with COVID-19 is likely to infect 5.8 additional individuals; this increased infection rate is because COVID-19 symptoms may take several days to show, but disease dissemination may occur much sooner.
You may have heard that the mortality rate is about 1% or 2%, but the danger of infection is so high that you are at significant risk of getting serious symptoms that necessitate hospitalization. Because so many more people are likely to become infected, your chances of needing severe medical treatment are significantly higher than that with other respiratory diseases.
It may occur to you that you should accept the risk and expose yourself to get immunity, but this is a bad idea for a variety of reasons. To begin with, there is no reason to jeopardize your life when vaccination is available.
Why Exercise Is Beneficial
Although you are safer from COVID-19 at home, there are still some serious health hazards to be mindful of when you are alone. To begin with, you may find yourself slipping into a sedentary lifestyle that includes long periods of sitting in front of a television or phone screen. This can result in weight gain, muscular weakness, and joint injury.
Simply getting a few minutes of exercise each day can help you avoid these health hazards. In general, 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week is recommended. You should also incorporate muscle-strengthening workouts at least twice a week.
Another significant risk you face while in quarantine is a deterioration in your emotional health. Many people are suffering from worry and despair as a result of a lack of social support and concerns about COVID-19, but exercise can help alleviate these symptoms. When you exercise, your body produces more endorphins, which reduce pain and improve happiness.
Long periods of solitude with little exposure to sunshine and typical daily activities might also disrupt your sleep pattern. You may have trouble getting sleep, staying asleep, or maintaining a normal sleep pattern. Vigorous physical activity can assist you in maintaining a normal sleep pattern.
Most significantly, if you become infected with COVID-19, frequent exercise may help you survive. There are no definitive studies to back this up, but it may be deduced from research on other respiratory diseases. A study of 24,000 participants discovered that mild to moderate exercise reduced the chance of dying from influenza.
Physical exercise, it is thought, flushes germs and other pathogens from the lungs, therefore preventing secondary infections like pneumonia, which are typically deadly in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, exercise increases blood circulation, which allows immune system components such as antibodies and white blood cells to fight foreign substances more swiftly.
