Spring is just around the corner but cold and flu bugs aren’t ready to take a break. Exercise offers the best protection, if you do it the right way. However, working out too intensely can deplete your natural defenses and increase your risk of getting sick.
People who regularly get at least 45 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking on most days of the week, take 25 percent to 50 percent fewer sick days than inactive people, according to an analysis of research on the subject by David Nieman, a doctor of public health and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. “This reduction in illness far exceeds anything a drug or pill can offer,” he says.
This type of slow-but-steady activity bolsters the body’s ability to resist invaders and can even improve the benefits of a flu vaccine. However, intense exercise, the kind that induces serious huffing and puffing, can work against you, even if it’s part of your usual routine.
Avoid the Pitfalls
Exercise challenges your body and if you recover properly, the net effect is improved strength and resilience. The process is easy to see with muscles. Make them work harder, then give them a rest and they become stronger. Exercise also improves our ability to withstand stress, to maintain a positive outlook and to use our mental abilities, but there’s a catch with the immune system.
“After intense exercise, it typically takes muscles 24 to 48 hours to recover, but for the immune system, recovery can take up to a week,” says Pete McCall, and an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise. This mechanism can work against you in two situations:
• If you routinely do intense exercise, such as spinning classes, you may not have enough immune defenses left over to resist seasonal bugs. By reducing the intensity a bit until cold and flu season passes, you will still get benefits from exercise with less risk of sickness that would interrupt your workouts.
• If you haven’t been active and want to start an exercise program, doing too much, too fast can make you more prone to illness.
In contrast, moderate exercise improves circulation and delivers natural killer cells to wherever they’re needed. That way, you’re better equipped to stay healthy.
Starting the Smart Way
You don’t have to make a heroic effort to benefit from exercise. On the other hand, if you’re trying to lose weight, don’t expect all your clothes to suddenly fit better because you went for a walk yesterday. You’re more likely to be in a better mood, and maybe you won’t feel as tempted to eat junk food, and if you make a walk part of your regular routine, in time, your life could improve quite dramatically.
To start, aim to walk three times per week, for 30 minutes per day. You can split the daily total into several shorter walks or do it all at once. Technically, the time of day makes no difference but from a practical perspective, walking in the morning often prevents unexpected distractions from interfering.
Once you’re really comfortable with your initial schedule, add another day or increase the daily time to 40 minutes. Over a period of months, build up to a walk of at least 30 minutes on five or six days of the week.
Brisk walking is good but don’t go beyond a speed at which you can comfortably talk. As well as improving your immune defenses, this type of intensity also burns fat stores.
A regular walking regimen might inspire you to think of new activities to do on the weekend, such as exploring nearby hiking trails. If you have an old bike in the garage, you might drag it out and explore your neighborhood on two wheels. Or, go for a ride with your kids or grandkids. You might be amazed by the new vistas that open up as a result of a simple walk.
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