Exercise up to five hours a week
General recommendations are that adults need between two and a half to five hours of exercise per week, which is already very low. After all, that doesn't even mean an hour of exercise a day! This involves moderate to intense exercise, which includes walking as well as jogging, cycling or swimming.
But the sports facilities that have been closed for so long prevent the regular exercise, which many Swiss felt obliged to do because they? After all, a fitness subscription? had. The lockdown is a welcome excuse and, for many, a real reason for not moving enough. It is even worse for children and adolescents, because they should be active for at least an hour a day. Most of them do not achieve this goal anyway and certainly not at all now, in times of lockdown.
The WHO assumes that around 80 percent of children and adolescents get too little exercise during lockdown, and that it can be even more for adults. Physical activity is crucial for health and wellbeing to occur. This could extend life by a few years, as WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained. Regular exercise is also the key to preventing further illnesses, especially type 2 diabetes and cancer are mentioned here. Exercise strengthens the immune system, which would ultimately also help in the fight against corona.
Exercise prevents other diseases as well
Sufficient exercise strengthens the body and increases the performance of the lungs and heart. Symptoms such as depression or anxiety can at least be alleviated through exercise. It is not about doing competitive sports, it is enough to be really active. The dog does not take a stroll, but the walk becomes a brisk march. Children romp in the playground or can let off steam on a walk through the great outdoors. Scientists assume that sufficient exercise also promotes memory, so both body and mind are kept on their toes by exercise.
Insufficient statistics available
How little everyone really moves is not yet clear; the effects of the pandemic in this area are still relatively little researched. However, the WHO is already warning that the number of diseases that can be traced back to a lack of exercise could soar. Many people are still forced to work from home. This eliminates the way to work, which could be seen as an additional movement. The normal routines of daily exercise still fall away.
The WHO is now concerned and estimates that the cost of health care for people who become ill due to sedentary lifestyle could reach 45 billion worldwide. In addition, up to five million additional deaths per year could be prevented if people were to exercise more.
Conclusion: Underestimated effects of the pandemic
Most people underestimate the time of the day that they spend sitting. For them, it makes sense to use fitness trackers that specifically show how much the person wearing the tracker has moved during the day. This allows the general daily movement to be measured and the person concerned can see immediately where he needs to improve. Without more exercise, which is so important in Corona times, numerous other diseases can soon occur, which are ultimately also corona-related, even if not caused by the virus.
