Adherence
Maintaining physical activity during home confinement or social isolation prevents rapid loss of muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, and metabolic health, thereby reducing mortality risk and susceptibility to severe infection outcomes.
Do not let gym closures stop your exercise. Perform high-volume, low-to-medium intensity resistance exercises at home, aim for at least 5,000 steps daily, and use wearable tech to track progress. If you have chronic conditions, seek telemedicine supervision. Avoid exercising immediately before bed to protect sleep. Remember that even small amounts of activity are significantly better than none.
Regular PA is very important, because the opposite behavior, sedentarism, leads to a rapidly loss of muscle mass, degenerative changes of neuromuscular system, a reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and an increased rate of mortality.
Why this rating
The paper is a systematic review of 32 studies (6 direct, 26 adapted), including narrative reviews and observational data, but lacks large-scale randomized controlled trials specifically for the pandemic context.
Source
Practical Recommendations for Maintaining Active Lifestyle during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review
Ellen Bentlage et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2020
DOI 10.3390/ijerph17176265
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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