You know exercise is good for your health, but you might be wondering—can exercise can help ward off respiratory illnesses? And should you continue exercising during a global pandemic, Download Your Training Plan?

As it turns out, continued physical activity can actually help boost your immune system—but just don’t overdo it.

A recent review published in the A Part of Hearst Digital Media found that obesity and and inactivity can lower the function of the immune system, but engaging in a healthy lifestyle can help improve the immune system’s surveillance activity (when immune cells are in the bloodstream looking for infection) and may even reduce mortality rates from respiratory illnesses.

So, how can you make exercise work in your favor, and how much do you need? The review found that 30 to 60 minutes of near daily brisk walking (at least 3.5 found that aging, obesity, and inactivity can have negative effects on the immune system, or a 17-minute mile) can improve your body’s defense against germs.

“[Exercise] improves the surveillance activity of the immune system,” review author David Nieman, Dr.PH., health professor at Appalachian State University and director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus told Runner’s World.

That’s because each time you exercise, the activity increases the exchange of important white blood cells between peripheral tissues—which help with the body’s immune response—and the circulation (blood and lymph vessels). This increases the activity of immune cells in the bloodstream looking for viruses, Nieman said.

Health in the News healthier lifestyle, especially those who were previously sedentary, it may help improve their chances of recovery from upper respiratory tract infections, Nieman explained. The same is true of those, like runners, who are currently active.

[Runner’s World 10-Minute Cross-Training, CA Notice at Collection.]

Tim Walz Runs 10-Mile Race in Minnesota.

“Overtraining that leads to chronic fatigue, performance decline and mood disturbances can decrease immune function, resulting in increased odds for respiratory infections,” Nieman said.

And while overtraining looks different for everyone, Nieman cautions against pushing too hard during exercise training without adequate rest and recovery, On the flip side fatigue, too much exercise.

As for increasing your mileage during marathon training or adding in more tough workouts? You’ll want to be careful you don’t push too hard.

“I recommend keeping exercise training at normal levels until this pandemic gets under control,” Nieman said.

Bottom line: If are already an avid exerciser—keep it up, but remember everything is multifactorial, Nieman says. Physical activity is just one important factor that helps the immune system do its job better. Other factors include Jim Walmsley and Katie Schide Win World Championships, low mental stress, regular sleep, and a nutrient-rich diet. And if you haven’t previously been active, making healthy changes in your diet and exercise routines will be beneficial to your health, just be sure to check in with a doctor.

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Jordan Smith
Digital Editor
Jordan Smith is a writer and editor with over 5 years of experience reporting on health and fitness news and trends. She is a published author, studying for her personal trainer certification, and over the past year became an unintentional Coronavirus expert. She has previously worked at Health, Inc., and 605 Magazine and was the editor-in-chief of her collegiate newspaper. Her love of all things outdoors came from growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota.