The benefits of physical exercise for the body are undeniable today. These practices not only allow us to keep our body in a better state of physical and mental health, but they can also prevent or help the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer, to name a few.
The World Health Organization guidelines on physical activity and sedentary habits have recently been updated. In them, apart from recommending aerobic exercise, the adult population is now also advised to work on muscular strength to obtain additional benefits. This exercise should be done at least two days a week.
However, in the current covid-19 pandemic, those studies that determine that physical activity helps the immune system and improves its functions are especially relevant.
It seems clear that our immunity benefits from sports, regardless of the intensity at which the exercise is practiced.
Thus, in the face of a SARS-CoV-2 infection, it is expected that the chronic adaptations induced by physical exercise will reduce the effects, since low physical fitness is shown as a relevant risk factor in the face of a viral infection.
It does not matter if what we like the most is going for a run, going to classes directed to our gym or doing yoga. The fundamental thing is that we move, that we do it regularly, under expert supervision and being clear that each activity has different health benefits.
What is the problem? That the health crisis forces to restrict mobility and social contacts.
Many regional, regional and national governments have taken drastic measures during the pandemic, including the closure of sports facilities and gyms. This fact limits that many people can carry out their preferred exercise, which increases their levels of sedentary lifestyle and, potentially, immunosuppresses them.
Studies on adherence to physical exercise indicate socialization as one of the substantial factors for the practice of sport. Therefore, alternatives at home or alone abroad may not be as motivating in the medium and long term.
Are these measures justified? Several groups think that the health derivative of sports practice has not been taken into account, and that the sector needs uniform regulations. These closings have a greater or lesser basis according to the sources consulted.
One of the studies that is used most frequently as an argument to identify sports facilities as a source of contagion was carried out in South Korea. The researchers found a large number of new infections in classes of activities directed with musical support in twelve facilities in the country.
Another study published in the journal Nature , based on data obtained through the geolocation of 98 million mobile phones in the US, predicted that gyms were potentially places with a high risk of infection. Medical associations like the one in Texas also put the risk of going to a gym and contracting COVID-19 at a value of 8 out of 10.
On the other hand, other evidence is not so conclusive. Data from the Spanish Ministry of Health on the accumulated total of outbreaks in our country on November 13, 2020 showed that the incidence of sports activities on the total of outbreaks was 0.61% of the total, and the incidence in gyms (category of closed spaces with hotels and churches) is 0.50%. Even so, the report clarifies that these outbreaks represent less than 9% of all cases, and that it is difficult to know the source of infection in places of public use and where strangers gather.
The EuropeActiv association, in a study by the Rey Juan Carlos University and the Sheffield Hallam University of the United Kingdom in which 14 European countries participate, determines through preliminary data that the average infection rate of covid-19 is located at 0, 78 for every 100,000 visits to a gym.
So what factors can make some sports facilities safer than others? Well, the classics of hand hygiene, masks, social distance and a key factor: ventilation.
The covid-19 report of the Higher Council for Scientific Research recommends that the air in gyms be renewed with a flow rate of between 8 and 10 liters per second per person, which amounts to 4 to 6 complete renewals per hour. This renewal is feasible in many sports centers, and lower than that required in schools, which should be 13.8 liters per second per person.
The use of masks in gyms is viable as long as there are no previous respiratory pathologies. Despite some guidelines against its use, recent studies state that its use does not appear to have a negative effect during vigorous exercise in healthy people.
It is clear that the risk of contracting a highly infectious disease is never zero. Therefore, if you are a high-risk population, have family members who are, or simply do not feel comfortable going to the gym in these times, do not do it.
But let’s continue to encourage people to exercise regularly, and that environments that promote healthy attitudes have the opportunity to do their daily activities if they adhere to strict safety regulations.
Javier Peña, Director of the Center for Studies in Sport and Physical Activity (CEEAF), University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.
