Sport and Corona

Sport and coronavirus – a contradiction or feasible? “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, sporting activity and respiratory diseases are currently more in focus than ever before,” says Professor Dr. Edgar Heinen.

The doctor, a specialist in the field of metabolism and hormones, advocates physical activity to reduce respiratory infections. “As with so many things, it all depends on the dose,” emphasizes the endocrinologist, who supports his daughter Eva at INJOY Feldkirchen.

In his video, Heinen refers to a study (Baum/Liesen 1998) in which the frequency of respiratory tract infections in women over the age of 75 was compared in three groups over a period of 12 weeks.

The women who trained with a gymnastics unit without a circulatory effect had over 50 percent respiratory infections in the 12 weeks. The second group exercised moderately with walking/jogging. “With these women, you can assume that they were still able to have a conversation while exercising,” says Heinen, explaining the training. And yet the number of infections fell to just 21 percent. The figure is even more astonishing for women over the age of 75 who have been doing sport all their lives: Only eight percent still complained of a respiratory infection in three months. “This clearly shows that exercise reduces the number of respiratory tract infections,” says the physician.

However, Heinen also warns: “Very intensive athletes have an increased risk of illness”. An example from the Baum/Liesen study: every seventh participant in a marathon race suffers a respiratory illness within the first week after the race. Even those who exercise briefly and very intensively have a higher risk of suffering a respiratory infection in the hours immediately after exercise.

Physical activity is also important in times of coronavirus to keep the immune system as healthy as possible! After a longer period of inactivity, you should not immediately return to the same intensity of training as before the shutdown. Slowly increase the load or better still – try to stay physically fit even during the corona crisis.