Ever noticed that your friends who exercise on a regular basis tend to get sick less?
Your immune system is in charge of fighting the germs that you encounter on a daily basis. A healthy lifestyle boosts your immune system. Healthy lifestyle includes a healthy diet, not smoking, getting enough sleep, washing your hands frequently, seeing your doctor annually, and getting regular exercise.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a bare minimum of 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week to maintain health. Doubling this amount can be beneficial when exercise is a combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, balance training, and stretching. Exercising to fatigue is not recommended. You should be able to breathe comfortably and hold a discussion while you are exercising.
Exercise is a very effective way to cope with stress, helping to reduce the sympathetic nervous system activity to bring more calmness. Stress is associated with reduced immunity, so managing stress is important for your immune system. You are more likely to get sick when you are under a lot of stress.
Regular exercise promotes good circulation, which improves the ability of the immune cells to move freely throughout your body to do their job of protecting you from bugs and germs.
When you exercise in a group class with shared equipment, make sure to wash your hands with soap and water afterwards to get rid of any germs you might have encountered on the shared equipment.
A healthy lifestyle is a choice. When you choose to exercise, you are helping to defend yourself against sickness.
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Dr. Bren Boston, M.D. is board certified in Physiatry and Pain Medicine through the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and specializes in treating musculoskeletal conditions with a non-surgical approach. Learn more and schedule an appointment by contacting info@akashacenter.com.
