Everyone knows that physical activity has numerous benefits for our health. Recently, researchers have found that exercise prevents severe COVID-19. How does this happen exactly, and does exercise offer enough protection?

Studies show that exercise prevents severe COVID-19

One of the best ways to stay healthy is to engage in daily exercise. In fact, doctors recommend that people engage in at least 150 minutes of exercise each week. This can have a number of benefits, such as weight loss, strengthening the body, as well as lowering the risk of certain diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity¹.

And in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have found that exercise prevents severe COVID-19 in some people.

According to one study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people who exercised regularly were less likely to develop severe symptoms if they were infected with COVID-19². They also found that among patients who were infected with COVID, those who were inactive or had a sedentary lifestyle had a higher chance of being hospitalized.

Based on the data, persons who were inactive had a 120% higher chance of being hospitalized compared to physically active patients. In addition, they had a 110% higher risk of being in critical care.

People who are sedentary are also more prone to certain illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. And based on what we know about COVID-19, both of these illnesses put a person at risk of severe symptoms.