“Exercise is Medicine” COVID-19 Lockdown Survival Guide

“Exercise is Medicine” COVID-19 Lockdown Survival Guide

May 19, 2020

COVID-19 caused the World to go on a complete lockdown mode except for few relaxations from the government.

Most of the people are on work from home mode, some people are on leave and as per the current scenario, this lockdown will continue till the next 2-3 weeks if not more.

People are complaining that they are getting bored and feeling like house arrest.  These are the same people who were complaining earlier that due to office “we are not getting time for ourselves.”

We know we’re in the midst of a Pandemic here, but that doesn’t mean we have to panic.

We can either be very sad about what is happening around us or just get up and take charge of everything that we can control and do our best to make things alright for us and everyone around us.

So, let’s stop complaining and start utilizing the time that we all of a sudden seem to have.

During this period, you can cultivate a few good habits which are going to help you a lot in the coming future.

One of the most important habits among them is “Exercise”. Being fit is really important now more than ever.

As per ACSM (American college of sports medicine) “Exercise is Medicine”.  ACSM is encouraging physicians to prescribe exercise and this is not really a new concept.

Exercise prescription for health and disease prevention has roots that began in antiquity more than two millennia ago.

Individuals and concepts to remember are that Susruta of India was the first “recorded” physician to prescribe moderate daily exercise, Hippocrates of Greece was the first “recorded” physician to provide a written exercise prescription for a patient suffering from consumption, and the global influence of Galen from Rome combined with his recommendation on the use of exercise for patients in the management of disease prevailed until the 16th century.

Historically intertwined with these concepts was exercise being advocated by select physicians to minimize the health problems associated with obesity, diabetes, and inactivity.

Let’s come to the current scenario If you analyze the reports from various agencies including WHO.

A person with any preexisting medical conditions like Diabetes, B.P, cardiovascular disease is at the highest risk of infection, the main reason behind this is immunity and the best way to increase immunity is exercise.

Compared to being sedentary, moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with better immune function.

A number of doctors believe that “it’s the medicine that’s free and has very few side effects.”

Lockdown survival guide – How Exercise Protects Health

“The human body was designed in such a way so that all physiological functions are optimal when we move, and increasingly we are realizing it doesn’t take much activity.”

Harvard scientists have discovered that when you exercise, your muscles release

1. Natural substances that help relax blood vessel walls,
2. Lower blood pressure,
3. Reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol,
4. Increase “good” HDL cholesterol,
5. Move glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it is needed,
6. Lower insulin levels, and
7. Reduce inflammation.
8. All of these functions together help protect us against heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Up to this point, I have explained why exercise is important and how it helps you to fight with a disease but the toughest thing is “How to fit this in our daily routine”. 

Lockdown Survival Guide – How to Fit Exercise in Your Daily Routine

What You Should Do

1. Aim for half an hour of moderate physical activity most days of the week, or 150 minutes a week. If that seems daunting, start with a few minutes a day, and increase the amount you exercise by five or 10 minutes every week until you reach your goal.
2. Do any physical activity which you like to do, whether it is swimming, any sports you like or gymming.
3. Use a bicycle for some of your daily tasks instead of bikes and cars.

Slowly and steadily embrace a healthy lifestyle because it’s never too late to start working out!

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