How can moderate, regular exercise help to boost your immunity?
We all know that exercise benefits our bodies in a number of ways, and boosting your immunity is just one of them. But there is one important caveat; the frequency, duration and intensity of your workouts matter. Research suggests that when it comes to boosting your immunity, moderate-intensity exercise is best. Exercising at a moderate to vigorous intensity for 60 minutes or less is optimal for immune boosting benefits and continued regularly you immune and metabolic systems continue to strengthen.
Less scrolling and more strolling. Let's all get moving together!
Read on below for five ways exercise may help your immune system.
1. Exercise stimulates cellular immunity
Moderate intensity exercise can increase the circulation of immune cells in your body to help prepare for a future infection by detecting it earlier.
2. Exercise helps you sleep better
Sleep loss can negatively impact certain parts of the immune system. People who are more physically active during the day tend to fall asleep more easily at night.
3. Exercise decreases risk of diseases
Like heart disease and diabetes. These conditions make it more difficult to ward off infections and viral illness.
4. Exercise decreases stress and depression
Moderate intensity exercise can slow down the release of stress hormones and positively influence neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mood and behaviour. Exercise helps you proactively handle stressors with more resilience and a better mood!
5. Exercise reduces inflammation
Moderate-intensity exercise reduces inflammation. But be warned, exercise intensity matters - prolonged bouts of high intensity exercise can actually increase inflammation.
Inspiring Active Communities from the Inside Out
At Move Foods we're passionate about getting more people moving! We're so passionate in fact that we give back 10% of our profits to organisations that help get people involved in exercise for health and wellbeing. Unfortunately many of us are not moving as much as we should. Only 7% of Kiwi kids age 5-17 meet the Ministry of Health guidelines for physical activity each day (World Health Organisation, 2021).
By supporting Move Foods, you're also helping to create collective change for good and getting more people moving! We think that's pretty cool.
Source:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/does-exercise-boost-immune-system, https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/enhance-immunity/index.html