Exercise

HEALTHY LIVING Exercise and theimmune system

Courtesy photo /MedX NikBuchman, MedX’s fitness manager,sayshe’s“bringing fitness back into people’s lives”

By Nik Buchman, MedX’s Fitness Manager

For theTrail-Gazette

This year has seemed like arollercoaster ride that hitsyou with twists and turns everyother week.The pandemic has probablybeen oneofthe most disruptive events of our lifetime. Now morethan ever, it isimportant to maintain good overallphysical and mental healthwhen consistency andaccess aresolimited. One of the bestwaysto do this is toget enough exercise throughout theweek.

As the weathergetscolder, the simple outdoor fixes to staying active will disappear, but the body needs to continue to moveinorder to main-

tain optimalhealth. Exercise alone reduces therisks of heartdisease, diabetes, cancer,bloodpressure, depression, anxiety and so on. While those areall great reasons to exercise, these times of illness make the positive influenceofexerciseon immune systemhealth even morerelevant.

Moderate exercise of less than an hour aday hasbeen shown to improve ourbody’s immune responseaswell as lower ourrisk for illnesses and overall inflammation. A 2019 review from TheJournal of Sportand Health Sciencehighlighted howwhen the body performs moderate to vigorous exercise,it increasesthe amount of immune cells that arecirculating in the blood. Immune cells areimportant for fighting offforeign bodies and diseases inside of our body. While this immediate response is great,consistency when exercising is most important tomaintain this elevated immuneresponse.

The expertresearcher of the study, DavidNiemann, compared this concepttohiringa housekeeper to clean our house one time.Itwould look great right after, but eventually fall into disarray again. If that housekeeper was to clean on aregular See EXERCISE,pg. 18

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