Why exercising boosts your immune system
You already know that regular exercise is good for you. Exercising, or even just getting enough movement in your daily life, improves your health and your immunity. But you probably don't yet know why exercise boosts your immunity and how much exercise is enough to reap the benefits. Or how best to make use of this knowledge.
What does high immunity entail?
When we say someone has high immunity, we mean that their body is well able to protect itself against external threats, such as viruses and parasites. Your body does this through the white blood cells in your body. These cells tackle the bacteria, fungi, and other threats that enter your body. Your white blood cells are part of your immune system. If your immunity is high, these blood cells are actively fighting threats in your body. In other words, when we say you have high immunity, we mean your immune system is functioning well.
Exercise can support your immune system because it supports white blood cells. Movement keeps your blood cells active. Sufficient movement is essential for this. Good habits, such as maintaining a more active lifestyle, ensure that your white blood cells remain better able to tackle threats. While bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, or a sedentary lifestyle, undermine the functioning of your white blood cells. People who exercise more are therefore generally sick less often.
How much exercise is needed?
Getting enough exercise is therefore essential for a healthy body. But how much exercise is actually enough? The Health Council advises getting 2.5 hours of exercise every week. This can be moderately to heavily intensive. This includes things like cycling to work or walking to the grocery store. But also heavy housework or gardening. In addition to these 2.5 hours of exercise, it is also recommended to exercise twice a week. This is especially important for your muscles and bones; exercise is necessary to keep them strong. To meet this, you can go to the gym, but other activities such as team sports, dancing, or yoga also count.
The official advice is therefore 2.5 hours of exercise and 2 times of sports per week. It probably won't surprise you that many people do not follow this advice. The consequence of this is that these people run a greater risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, overweight, and diabetes. Insufficient exercise, and especially the consequences it has, are listed as the 4th most common cause of death worldwide.
Motivation
A poor lifestyle does not immediately have bad consequences for your health. Usually, the worst consequences only become truly noticeable later in life. And because these consequences remain invisible for so long, it takes most people a long time before they feel the urge to change their bad habits. But perhaps it is easier to motivate yourself by not looking at the long term, but rather at the short term. By looking at the benefits that more exercise can bring you in the short term.
Sufficient exercise quickly yields positive results. Of course, you lose weight from exercise, but you also get more energy. This is because exercise improves your fitness. And because you are also boosting your immunity through healthy movement, you are also less susceptible to illnesses. Another benefit that people often mention when it comes to exercise is that it improves their mood. The so-called 'runner's high' is caused by exercise releasing various substances in your brain: dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These substances ensure that your mood improves and you suffer less from stress. Exercise is therefore not only good for your body but also for your brain.
Healthy body, healthy mind
Exercise is also literally healthy for your brain. Not only does your brain produce more 'happiness chemicals' (dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins), but it also produces more neurotrophins. These substances are essential for the proper functioning of your brain. Sufficient exercise also ensures better blood circulation in your body and thus also your brain. This allows your brain to function better, which you can notice in your cognitive abilities. For example, you may notice that you are better able to learn things or that your memory improves. Exercise is therefore just as healthy for your brain as for your body. It is therefore not surprising that dementia is less common in people who have always had an active lifestyle.
Exercise and regular movement are important for a healthy body and a healthy mind. It improves your immunity and promotes your cognitive abilities. Sufficient exercise brings many benefits and is therefore recommended for everyone.
