Exercise has a large number of associated benefits, to this, we can now include a new heading, which is to protect yourself from covid; and it is that having a regular practice of physical activity carries a lower risk of infection and severity of this disease.
For example, a recent study associates that practicing physical activity on a regular basis leads to a lower risk of both contagion by SARS-CoV-2 and severity by Covid-19.
According to this study from the Public University of Navarra, the greatest protection is achieved by doing 150 minutes of moderate activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity per week.
What consequences does the covid leave?
Post-Covid-19 syndrome involves a range of new, frequent, or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after contracting the virus. In some cases these sequelae can last for months or years, and can cause disability.
While it is true, according to research, between one and 12 months after having Covid-19, one in 5 people has at least one medical condition that could be due to Covid-19.
Among the most frequent post-Covid-19 sequelae, we can mention the following:
- Covid symptoms that worsen after physical or mental exertion.
- Fever.
- Fatigue.
- Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or cough.
Among other less frequent symptoms are the following:
- Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions.
- Muscle or joint pain.
- Digestive symptoms.
- Rashes
- Changes in the menstrual cycle.
- Circulatory problems.
What is the best protection against covid
We know the importance that not only medicine has nowadays, physical exercise has become as important a factor in health as any other, since it can work as medicine, so much so that numerous medical centers are “recentring” it for combat this condition and many others, and the figure of specialized professionals such as physical educators has emerged.
As we have seen before, numerous studies that talk about the practice of exercise for the prevention of diseases, stipulate that it is recommended to perform between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate physical activity per week, or 75 and 150 of high intensity physical activity, along with with exercises to strengthen the muscles 2 or 3 days a week.
Obviously, to this we have to add protection measures such as:
- Keep the safety distance.
- Wash hands frequently.
- Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
- Prioritize open spaces.
- Get vaccinated when recommended by the health system.
Exercises that protect you from covid
When we talk about exercises that protect you from covid, we mean that there is a big difference when it comes to developing the disease if the patient has a sedentary profile or an active profile.
Several studies affirm that for the patient who exercises, the risk of contracting Covid is lower, as is the state of severity if she has already caught it; therefore, sport is definitely a great preventive factor against Covid. In summary, people who are infected and carry out an exercise routine have a lower probability of having a complication if they get sick from covid.
Exercise can benefit the body in different ways. Apart from contributing to the maintenance of a healthy body weight, exercise is good for increasing mobility, preventing loss of bone mass, increasing self-esteem and reducing stress levels, among many other benefits. Apart from being preventive for covid, multiple studies show that people who exercise are less likely to suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
Whether it is to improve your health or have a better level of physical conditioning, the first step is to consult a specialist, especially if you are in any of the following points:
- Prescription drug.
- If you suffer from any type of cardiovascular problem.
- If you are diabetic
- You are overweight.
- You have high blood pressure and are not taking medication to control it.
- If you smoke.
- If you are an old person.
There are several categories of physical exercise: Next, we will see the most important ones:
Cardio exercises
Cardio exercise is also called aerobic exercise. Cardiovascular exercise uses large muscles and we can do it for a long time.
For example, walking, swimming, cycling or jogging are some of the activities that we consider aerobic.
These types of exercises make the body use oxygen more efficiently and provide maximum benefits to the heart, lungs and circulatory system.
It is also very important for metabolic activity, that is, the more physical activity we achieve, the better metabolic activity we achieve, and this gives us greater weight loss, and we are less likely to suffer from cellulite or varicose veins, even improving bone collagen.
Strength exercises
When we refer to strength, we understand it as a functional quality of the human being, that is, the capacity that allows us to oppose resistance or exert pressure through muscular tension. As an example, you can lift, drag, or push something.
We include strength within the conditional basic physical capacities, as well as resistance, flexibility and speed. These capacities are linked to the possibility of carrying out a movement in the shortest amount of time possible, overcoming resistance thanks to tension, maintaining an effort for a continuous time or reaching the maximum possible range of one of our joints.
Strength exercises can be divided into three categories:
Maximum strength exercises
The activity required in these workouts is to lift or handle the maximum weight load.
Quick strength or power exercises
The activity consists of performing exercises that combine strength with speed, improving the explosive aspect of strength.
Resistance strength exercises
The activity consists of strength exercises that require maximum duration. In these exercises you work with a lower load, but for a longer time, ultimately combining strength and resistance.
Strength training is an exercise that protects you from covid-19, since covid tends to deteriorate our muscles and joints, but with good prior physical condition, this won’t be so easy.
In short, if you want to do exercises that protect you from covid, you have to do combined training between strength or cardio exercises.
Exercises with Electrostimulation
Electrostimulation exercises or also known as EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) are the way to exercise muscles using local electrical impulses. These impulses are generated from devices and transmitted through electrodes located on the muscles to be stimulated. The impulses are responsible for imitating the action potential that comes from the central nervous system, causing muscle contraction.
These workouts are carried out through an electrostimulation program and the full body electrostimulation suit, which is responsible for activating the different muscle fibers throughout our body.
The combination of EMS and conventional exercise increases aerobic and anaerobic energy consumption, making this combination more efficient and effective than conventional exercise alone.
This means that you can combine your favorite exercise practices, such as soccer, hockey or functional training, with this type of training and obtain multiplied benefits.
These exercises that protect you from covid have more positive effects if you incorporate electrostimulation into your sports routine, since your physical condition improves exponentially than with conventional training. In fact, at Wiemspro we have a success story about electrostimulation training as a recovery method after covid.
In addition to the benefits that we have mentioned above, EMS training provides:
- Strength improvement.
- Sleep improvement.
- Improved general weakness.
- Improves the regulation of daily stress.
- Improves respiratory capacity.
- Improves resistance.
In short, this type of training is very beneficial for all profiles, its technology is designed to adapt to all types of morphologies and physical states.
Conclusions
An athlete will be less affected by the symptoms of the covid, and will develop a more satisfactory and faster recovery than if they do not exercise.
But we have to emphasize that sports and exercises that protect you from covid are beneficial for recovering from or avoiding this disease and, in fact, there is scientific evidence that confirms that strength and cardio training is advantageous for many other diseases. such as obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue and many more.
So, if you are one of those physically inactive people, before suffering from any disease, it is the perfect time to start practicing any physical activity and acquire healthy habits.
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