Regular exercise is good for the immune system. But that only applies if you are in good health. However, the fact that you can sweat out a disease through physical activity is a myth. There is no evidence that exercise can shorten or alleviate the course of the disease. Exercising can even be risky. The same goes for if you come back too early and too hard.
If the infection causes a fever, the matter is crystal clear: there is an absolute ban on sports. Without a fever, mild to moderate exertion is usually okay. Experts recommend a so-called ‘neck check’. If the symptoms are all ‘above the neck’, including a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and a mild sore throat, physical activity is in order. There is a no-go if the complaints are ‘below the neck’, such as coughing, shortness of breath or vomiting and diarrhea. A break is also recommended if you have muscle pain or severe fatigue.
It is important to reduce the intensity and length. So it is better to go for a walk instead of jogging. Or it is better to do strength training at home with your own body weight instead of training with heavy equipment in the gym. Another argument for not going to the gym is that sick people can infect others there.
If symptoms worsen with exertion, stop immediately. The most important thing in general is: listen to your body and don’t force anything. A few days off from training will not have a negative effect on performance in the long term.
An infection, especially with viruses, can cause inflammation of the heart muscle, technically known as myocarditis. The pathogens are transported in the blood from their actual source of infection to the heart, where the tissue cells can become inflamed. Symptoms are nonspecific, but fatigue, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, and palpitations are common.
To minimize the risk of myocarditis, the most important thing is that you recover well from infection. This not only means not exercising during and after the acute phase of the disease, but also taking physical rest, as the University Hospital of Zurich states. Good vaccine protection is also useful.
In most cases, myocarditis heals without any consequences. However, if you return to activity too early, you risk permanent damage, which in the worst case can lead to the need for a donor heart or sudden cardiac death.
This cannot be said in general terms because every infection progresses differently and everyone affected recovers at different speeds. In general, the stronger the infection, the longer the break. After a mild cold, exercise can be resumed once symptoms subside. After an illness with fever, you should be fever-free for at least two days without medication. The rule of thumb is: the number of sick days corresponds to the number of regeneration days.
Doctors have formulated recommendations specifically for Corona in the “German Journal of Sports Medicine”. If the course is mild, you should take a break from exercise during and for three days after the symptoms have disappeared. For moderate and severe cases, you should seek medical advice before resuming exercise.
It is important not to do anything hastily: if your heart rate increases even with minor exertion, it is better to wait another day. You should only increase the duration and intensity if the previous workout felt good.
Swiss Olympic has developed a 5-step plan for the return to sport after Corona. Accordingly, physical activity immediately after a sports break should include up to fifteen minutes of light jogging. You can then gradually build up the training over a week, up to one-hour units. If you have a heart rate monitor, make sure you exercise at a maximum of 80 percent of your maximum heart rate.
No, you have to be particularly careful with it. Because in Long Covid patients the symptoms can be worsened by exertion. If the load limit is exceeded, a so-called crash can occur. Experts therefore recommend pacing. This means: “You should always do less than your strength allows,” writes Altea, the Long Covid network in Switzerland. Pacing helps reduce setbacks in the recovery process.
No, like so many things it depends on the dose – and whether you are already sick or not. Because exercise causes temporary inflammation and is therefore a stressor for the body. This, in turn, can make the immune system less able to respond to pathogens, partly because the body needs more oxygen and energy during physical activity, which would actually help the immune cells fight the virus.
In a healthy body, this temporary stress can train the immune system in a certain way. An American study found that those who exercise at least 20 minutes of moderate exercise five or more days a week reduce the risk of infection in autumn and winter by almost half compared to inactive people.
However, ambitious athletes and top athletes who regularly train very intensively and/or for long periods of time are two to six times more likely to develop a sore throat and flu-like symptoms than the rest of the population. Because high training volumes increase the risk of inflammation in the body. This may also be a reason why highly performance-oriented athletes are more likely to suffer from Long Covid. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
Source: Blick
I am Ross William, a passionate and experienced news writer with more than four years of experience in the writing industry. I have been working as an author for 24 Instant News Reporters covering the Trending section. With a keen eye for detail, I am able to find stories that capture people’s interest and help them stay informed.
