People In Lockdown Clearly Benefit From Exercise, New Study

New Zealanders are grasping to manage the impact of
physical activity on covid symptoms and their perception of
physical performance, fatigue and exhaustion during
stay-at-home orders, Exercise NZ chief executive Richard
Beddie says.

But a new
global study has found physically activity is a
preventative against covid, almost 40 percent less
hospitalisations for people who are physically active.
Exercise also helps with those who are in lock
downs.

The study in the British Medical Journal calls
on recommendations to be made to support physical exercise,
given the clear benefits of it has in the immediate and long
term for people, Beddie says.

“We need a more
holistic public health response as many immunologists appear
not to grasp the benefits of exercise.

“I would be
so happy to have a public debate on the issue with Otago
university professor Michael Baker about it.

“Today,
I call on the government to work with ExerciseNZ around
clear messages for activity during covid, but more
significantly how physical activity is preventative and has
no negative side effects.”

The Cologne Public Health
Department study looked at how people who exercised during
covid lockdowns benefitted.

Beddie says the study
confirmed people with acute and long-term positive effects
of covid clearly benefitted from exercise during
lockdown.

“Physical activity is considered a
protective factor for non-communicable diseases, but due to
the restrictions of daily life, less physical activity was
observed during the pandemic.

“The study found
people who were active during quarantine felt fitter, less
tired and less exhausted during this period.

“The
benefits of exercise should be repeatedly emphasised during
subsequent medical care, and people should be encouraged to
exercise or exercise more.”

The pandemic has had an
enormous impact on human life worldwide, with considerable
economic, health, economic and psychosocial
consequences.

“In the absence of possible
therapeutic countermeasures and vaccinations that only
became available in Germany at the end of 2020, various
contact restrictions and curfews were imposed to protect
high-risk groups and prevent an overload of the health
system.

“The research showed people who exercised
more during the initial covid-related restrictions had
better mental health and well-being than those who did
not.

“Physically inactive infected individuals had a
more severe disease course of covid than active
ones.“

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