INACTIVITY IS THE #1 RISK FACTOR FOR SEVERE COVID-19

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INACTIVITY IS THE 1 RISK FACTOR FOR SEVERE
COVID-19
http//www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
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Being physically active has been shown to improve
health and longevity. Exercise increases muscle
and bone strength, improves your immune system,
lungs, and heart, and prevents many cancers and
chronic illnesses. Not surprisingly, physical
activity is now linked to COVID-19 outcomes and
inactivity is the 1 Risk Factor for Severe
COVID-19. Physical inactivity is more of a risk
factor for severe COVID-19 than heart disease,
cancer, diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and
obesity.
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A study of 48,440 COVID-19 patients from Kaiser
Permanente in southern California found that
physical activity was a critical risk factor for
severe COVID-19 outcomes. Kaiser Permanente
tracked patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who had
also reported their physical activity thrice
during outpatient visits over the prior two
years. Those who were inactive had a
significantly higher risk of hospitalization, ICU
admission, and death. Being consistently inactive
was a stronger risk factor for severe COVID-19
outcomes than any of the underlying medical
conditions or risk factors identified by the CDC,
except for age and a history of organ transplant.
Even being active for only 10 minutes per week
had some protection against severe illness or
death from COVID. The study showed that those
who reported being physically inactive before
diagnosis were 2.49 times more likely to die of
COVID-19 than those who regularly met the U.S.
physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes per
week.
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• Engaging in regular P.A. may be individuals most
  important action to prevent severe COVID-19 and
  its complications, including death.
• Patients with COVID-19 who were consistently
  inactive during the two years preceding the
  pandemic were more likely to be hospitalized,
  admitted to the intensive care unit, and die than
  patients who consistently met 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 U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines was
  associated with substantial benefits. Still, even
  those doing some physical activity had lower
  risks for severe COVID-19 outcomes, including
  death, than those who were consistently inactive.

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Mechanisms and reasons why regular physical
activity plays a critical role in mitigating the
severity of the COVID-19 pandemic It is well
known that immune function improves with regular
physical activity. Exercise benefits
cardiovascular health increases lung capacity and
muscle strength, and also improves mental health.
Those who are regularly active have a lower
incidence, intensity of symptoms, and death from
various viral infections. Regular activity
reduces the risk of systemic inflammation, which
is the main contributor to lung damage caused by
COVID-19.
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The U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines call for
adults to engage in at least 150 min/week of
moderate to vigorous physical activity. Despite
the health benefits of regular physical activity
and the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, 36
percent of adults engage in NO leisure-time
physical activity at all. Globally, only 23
percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents
are insufficiently active. According to the U.S.
2016 National Health Interview Survey, 48 percent
of adults are NOT meeting the Physical Activity
Guidelines for aerobic activity, and 78 percent
of adults are NOT meeting aerobic and strength
training guidelines.
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U.S. adolescents and adults spend almost eight
hours a day in sedentary behaviors. Devastating
Effects of Inactivity During the pandemic,
every country advised to stay at home and avoid
contact with individuals outside of ones
household. Lockdowns were put in place, as were
restricted access to gyms, parks, playgrounds,
beaches, swimming pools, and other venues where
people can be active. These restrictions cause
isolation and reduced public access to physical
activity opportunities. Lack of physical activity
causes insulin resistance (a warning sign for the
development of type 2 diabetes), reduced muscle
mass, increased body fat, weight gain, reduced
cardiovascular and issues with inactivity such as
poor sleep quality, poor mental health, cognitive
sluggishness and increased risk of chronic
illness. The health effects of inactivity start
piling up within days.
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Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior posed
a significant economic burden worldwide before
COVID-19. In 2013 the global economic cost of
physical inactivity was estimated at around 54
billion. Inactivity also resulted in 13.7
billion in productivity losses due to
physical-inactivity-related deaths. Everyone is
aware of the loss of strength from inactivity,
but the devastating health effects are much more
damaging and expensive.
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Two weeks of inactivity (similar to being
housebound during this pandemic) results in
lowered muscle protein synthesis rates and the
onset of insulin resistance. For those over 65,
the adverse effects are much more significant.
During the same period of inactivity, those over
age 65 lose four percent of their leg muscle and
one-third of their insulin sensitivity. Younger
adults can recover when they return to daily
walking, but those over 65 have a more
challenging time restoring muscle and glycemic
control when they return to their daily routines
they do not regain their lost muscle.
Effectively, older individuals dont have the
same ability to bounce back as younger people do.
Regaining muscle requires deliberate effort
if you dont use it, you lose it.
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The most effective way to maintain muscle is to
perform resistance exercises or strength
training. And it doesnt have to be complicated.
If you dont have access to a gym to use free
weights, there are many valuable alternatives you
can easily do at home. Body-weight exercises such
as push-ups, squats, sit to stand with no hands,
lunges, and elastic bands are excellent for
strength training and walking, stair-climbing,
and even dancing are the best for aerobic
conditioning.
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The good news is that doing exercise does not
have to be complicated. You can simply go for a
long walk, and if it is raining, find a free
exercise routine on YouTube. The most important
thing is consistency. You should devote 30
minutes a day to exercise. Remember the important
benefits of exercise -it will help you to get
stronger and prevent muscle loss, The World
Health Organization (WHO) classified physical
inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor
accounting for 6 of global mortality, following
hypertension (13), smoking (9), and diabetes
(6). And now inactivity is the 1 Risk Factor
for Severe COVID-19!
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Exercise is the BEST Medicine The documented
benefits of physical activity have been neglected
for the first year of the pandemic, missing an
opportunity to reduce suffering and death. People
are still getting sick and dying of COVID-19, so
it is not too late to take action to help people
be more active. Reducing inactivity the 1
Risk Factor for Severe COVID-19 is easy more
emphasis must be placed on the importance of
regular exercise!
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