Is an Injury Preventing You From Getting Regular Exercise? …And Surviving COVID-19?

There are many reasons people avoid regular exercise in spite of the multiple benefits it provides.  Having an injury or chronic pain is one of the most common issues preventing people from exercising regularly. If this describes you, then maybe the most compelling reason to make an appointment with us today was outlined in a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study looked at 48,440 adult patients with a COVID-19 diagnosis from January 2020 to October 2020.  The patients were divided into 3 groups based on weekly exercise (in minutes). They then linked each patient’s self-reported physical activity category to the risk of hospitalization, ICU admission and death after COVID-19 diagnosis. The three exercise groups were:

Consistently Inactive – < 10 minutes of exercise a week.   (Hopefully this isn’t you)

Some Activity – 11- 149 minutes of exercise a week (for example: 45 minutes of exercise 3 times a week)

Consistently Meeting Activity Guidelines – >150 minutes of exercises a week (for example: 30 minutes 5 times a week)

What did they find? 

►► Patients with COVID-19 who were Consistently Inactive during the 2 years preceding the pandemic were more likely to be hospitalized, admitted to the intensive care unit and die than patients who were consistently meeting physical activity guidelines.

►► Other than advanced age and a history of organ transplant, physical inactivity was the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes.

►► Meeting US Physical Activity Guidelines was associated with substantial benefits, but even those doing some physical activity had lower risks for severe COVID-19 outcomes including death than those who were consistently inactive.

►► The potential for habitual physical activity to lower COVID-19 illness severity should be promoted by the medical community and public health agencies.

►► Pandemic control recommendations should include regular physical activity across all population groups.”

With restrictions still in place, getting consistent exercise can require some creative thinking. Whether it be assisting in creating a workout program, trying to find safe “injury prevention” exercises, or working out within the constraints of the equipment you have, we can help.

Additionally, in previous blogs we discussed the benefits of exercise for your brain and the immune system . We also outlined how improving your Cardio Respiratory function has major benefits for exercise performance and reduction of Covid symptoms. (In fact we offer breathing courses for this very purpose). Now today we share with you that inactivity was the strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19 outcomes!

How could you possibly need more motivation to get regular exercise? What’s stopping you? Call us today at 303-939-0004 to help you get on the path to regular exercise and leading a healthier life.