People say that exercise can boost immunity, but some people get a cold after a heavy training session. Does exercise necessarily improve the immune system? The answer is no.
Exercise is more like a double-edged sword for our body. If you master it well, it can help you improve your immunity; if you don’t, you may be injured. The impact of exercise on immune function is related to factors such as exercise intensity, exercise time, exercise frequency, and exercise volume.
Intensity should be moderate
”It is easy to catch a cold after an exercise of too much intensity.” This is not a coincidence but has a scientific basis. Numerous studies have shown that athletes have an increased risk of respiratory infections during intensive training with heavy exercise or during competitive events. Exercise volume and the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections follow a “J” curve, meaning that the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections decreases during moderate exercise and increases during excessive exercise. After heavy exercise, there is an “open window” period, lasting from 3 to 72 hours, during which the body’s immune function is weakened and the risk of various pathogenic factors, especially viruses, entering the host body increases.
So what is moderate exercise intensity? The intensity of exercise can be calculated based on the subjective feeling of fatigue “slightly strenuous” or by measuring the heart rate. The heart rate during exercise is equal to the number of pulses per minute during exercise, count your pulse rate for 10 seconds immediately after exercise and multiply it by 6, which is the heart rate value. The heart rate during moderate intensity exercise is generally about 60% to 70% of the maximum heart rate, maximum heart rate = 220 – age.
Duration should be appropriate
Exercise duration of 20 to 90 minutes is appropriate. Exercise time is too short, the immune system and cardiopulmonary system stimulation is not enough, and an exercise time is too long to cause excessive fatigue, is not conducive to the elimination of fatigue and recovery of physical function after exercise.
Choose the right type
A certain intensity of aerobic exercise and strength training can enhance immune function. Young people can choose large muscle group strength training such as squatting exercises, abdominal and back muscle strength training and other ways to strengthen the lower limb muscle groups, gluteus, lumbar back muscle training can not only enhance immunity can also improve the function of the lumbar back muscle to prevent neck and waist strain injury caused by sedentary less mobile. The middle-aged and elderly can choose moderate intensity tai chi, square dance, brisk walking and other aerobic exercise can be.
Caution
Some people may have heart disease, hypertension, musculoskeletal pain and other problems, so in the exercise should pay attention to the principles of safety, personalization, science, according to their own situation, exercise gradually, as far as possible in the home exercise to take off the mask, you can monitor the heart rate, blood pressure changes at the same time; and pay attention to the correct mode of action, to avoid sports injuries caused by the wrong action, the wrong force.
