When you see, hear, and read about the benefits of exercise the main headlines and content would be around weight control, muscle-building, heart health, etc. And these are all great benefits of exercise, benefits showing that we all need exercise. One benefit that doesn’t get mentioned as often is that exercise is a serious immunity booster.

Which in these times is really important to know and a much-ignored solution to the COVID pandemic. There has been a bunch of research conducted on the effects of exercise and COVID, and the evidence is a resounding positive, exercise is a serious immunity booster, and to be honest it is something that hasn’t been talked about near enough…now and in the past. Exercise helps fight illness.

How does exercise help fight illness?

There are numerous ways that physical activity will help protect against illness. These include:

•  Improves overall physical and mental health 
•  Increase “antipathogen activity*” by boosting T-cells and natural killer cells.
• Decrease systemic inflammation
• Improve cardiovascular and metabolic health (“severe infections” are more likely in people who have poorer overall health or suffer from chronic disease)
• Enhance the response to vaccinations

What’s more, in addition to exercise, good nutrition, sleep quality, and stress management practices can also further improve our immune system and help us avoid illness.

This brings us to the importance of the 5 pillars of health that we promote, highlighting another reason why true health is wholistic. These pillars are Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep, Mindset, and Social Connection. Immune Function can be positively boosted by purpose practice in all of these areas of health.

*Antipathogenactivity function as natural antibiotics, antivirals, and virucides in the body.

Reference: The immunity benefits of physical activity – PN Research Insider (February 2022)