Physical exercise improves the immune response and, therefore, helps reduce the risk of getting sick, as highlighted this Wednesday by the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (Sermef) through the rehabilitation doctor and spokesperson for the scientific society, Marta Supervía. .
In the context of the current winter months in which respiratory viruses proliferate, Supervía explained that “physical exercise increases blood and lymph flow by contracting the muscles, increasing the circulation of immune cells.” Muscle contraction stimulates the production of substances called myokines and some of these molecules reinforce the action of the body’s immune system.
In this sense, the rehabilitation doctor encouraged the population to do aerobic physical exercise such as swimming, running or cycling, as well as strength exercise. Furthermore, she explained that “the immune system reacts immediately when you exercise and over time this immune response disappears, so it is necessary to stay physically active and exercise regularly to ensure that these benefits are maintained.”
However, he warned that extreme aerobic training, strength training that involves muscle damage, or competitive sports with associated physiological, metabolic and psychological stress, “may not favor immune function.”
Likewise, the doctor highlighted that “personalized therapeutic exercise is one of the key tools for its effectiveness that Rehabilitation specialists use” and emphasized that “the exercise prescription must always be personalized for each person and adapted according to the evolution and diseases that may occur.”
On the other hand, he insisted that “the exercise must be adapted and include your preferences, since long-term adherence is key.” For this reason, aerobic exercise can be done in different ways: walking quickly, cycling, running, dancing… And this also happens with strength exercise, which can be done without using material (with the weight of the own body), with elastic bands, dumbbells or machines. To perform physical exercise “it is not necessary to have equipment or go to the gym,” concluded Supervía.
