FIGHT BACK AGAINST THE VIRUS WITH

DR MICHAEL MOSLEY’S HEALTH REVOLUTION

ALL this week, in exclusive extracts from his new book Covid-19, Dr MICHAEL MOSLEY has been explaining how to stay one step ahead of the virus as lockdown eases. Today, in the last of his unmissable pullouts, he explains why exercise is so important. Not only will it aid weight loss, a regular fitness routine will bolster your immunity to leave you fighting fit.

AS THE picture of how Covid-19 affects the human body becomes clearer, we are finding that one of the best ways to prepare ourselves to fight off the virus is to be as healthy as possible to begin with.

That means eating a nutritious diet, losing excess weight, sleeping well and keeping fit.

Many people have taken advantage of the extra time in lockdown (and, let’s face it, a desperate urge to get out of the house) to establish great new exercise habits. But others might be finding that the closure of gyms and sports centres and the pause put on most team sports have seriously curtailed their levels of activity.

Perhaps you’ve always been allergic to sport and you’re still fighting shy of incorporating exercise into your life?

Whatever your situation, it is important to know that daily exercise is vitally important for bolstering your immune system and today, in the final part of this week’s series based on my new book Covid-19, I will explain why you need to get more active.

The great news is you don’t need to start training for a marathon or invest in head-totoe Lycra to reap the benefits.

You can start by simply aiming to stand more. Sitting continually is almost as bad for your health — and your immune system — as smoking.

The first and easiest thing you can do is to stand every 30 minutes. So, set your phone or get an app with an alarm to remind you to move — every half an hour. If you watch a lot of TV, go for a stroll during the advert breaks. Or keep the control beside the TV, so you have to get up to change channels. Make a point of standing when talking on the phone (you also burn more calories and sound more assertive).

Next? Get walking. Walking is a cheap, safe way to exercise and researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine in the US found a brisk 20-minutes three times a week is enough to have a positive effect, reducing levels of a natural chemical in the body which drives inflammation. It is also enough to boost levels of a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant known as extracellular superoxide dismutase.

The best time to do it, if you can fit it into your life, is first thing in the morning, before breakfast. That way you not only manage to rev up your metabolism but also get exposed to early-morning light which helps reset your internal clock. This in turn will help you to sleep better at night.

If you are heading somewhere — work or school perhaps — that is less than a mile away, why not walk there? And once you’ve got the walking bit mastered, try to add running or cycling to your regime.

Using muscles during exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps immune cells called neutrophils get to an infection site more quickly.

Exercise also encourages the body to manufacture immune cells called macrophages —

guard’ cells that patrol the body for signs of attack — so we are better able to control infection. Boosting circulation allows the immune cells to travel through the body more effectively, too.

Among those at higher risk of coronavirus are people who are obese or have raised blood pressure, and making time for more physical activity will certainly help reduce the risk.

Exercise is great for all aspects of your health and key in the quest to maintain a sensible weight, and it is very important to bear in mind right now that these measurable chemical changes could help reduce your risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) — a major cause of death in patients with Covid-19.

Even if you aren’t a high-risk candidate, regular exercise could increase your chances of minimal symptoms and a short illness if you do get the virus.

A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that people who exercise five or more days a week spend 46 per cent fewer days laid up with a cold or respiratory virus compared to those who work out only once a week or not at all.

Any exercise that gets your heart rate up seems to be able to turn back the clock of the immune system.

Usefully, in these worrying times, it’s good to know that exercise is also a great stressbuster and it can improve a flat mood by pumping up production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters and endorphins too.

But what you might not realise, is how important it is to get a decent mix of different types of exercise.

I hate the gym, so I have found ways to make myself do what I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy, to sleep better and also keep my brain in decent condition.

I go for a 30-minute walk or run in nearby fields most mornings. This is partly to get my heart racing, but also so I can get in plenty of early-morning light and get my immune system in to shape.

As well as running, walking and some cycling, I also do strength exercises, such as press-ups and squats.

I make myself do this EVERY DAY because I’ve seen so much research about the health benefits it brings.

I’m concerned that my age (63) and gender put me at increased risk of covid complications and I want to give my immune system the best possible chance of mounting a proper attack in the face of viruses like these.

Not only is exercise so good for you, it makes you feel great when you’ve done it — and everyone can start somewhere.‘