Running and Coronas
According to Centers for Disease control (CDC), COVID-19 spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets, produced by an infected person by coughing and sneezing; with an incubation period around 2-14 days. However, people are most contagious when they are most symptomatic. It is a respiratory disease be infected by touching an object or a surface which is contaminated by the virus and touching your own nose and mouth.
These are the main points about the Covid-19 that will be remembered over the years as one of the most influential event over health-death, financial, social and physiological issues for whole human being living over 7.5 billions.
It is a pandemic event and declared so by WHO; people even accepted most intelligent and powerful ones are confused, at lost and frightened. Humanity has been expecting such an event based on what we have experienced before with SARS, MERS etc. viruses attack and taken place in many movies. Even so people get caught without getting prepared.
Being vaccinated, taking medicines, being treated in hospitals seems the only known and advised methods for meeting these viruses. But the problem is viruses for so many reasons come up suddenly and unexpected form, mostly being mutated. Even for a simple flu, people getting different shot every year because of mutation.
So what should be done?
As I have mentioned my new book “Run toward Health” we have to strengthen our immune system thus supporting our physical and psychological health by running way before and during this kind pandemics, epidemics.
According to the news the most affected people from Covid-19 are those who have lower immune-system by age, smokers, chronic diseases, hypertension, heart problems, diabetus mellitus…
Running before means strength our immune system. Prof Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, at the University of Birmingham, and co-author of the research, said: “The immune system declines by about 2-3% a year from our 20s, which is why older people are more susceptible to infections, conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and, potentially, cancer. “Because the cyclists have the immune system of a 20-year-old rather than a 70- or 80-year-old, it means they have added protection against all these issues.”
Running and exercise is the best way to prevent many well known and spread diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases etc. These are well covered my book “Sağlığa Koşu” published by IGU in January 2020. So Bingo: If you can prevent your health by having high immune system and not having those chronic diseases most prevalent you have very rigid protection against viruses, coronas especially Covid-19 together with others. Medic-people always says, writes that preventive measures is the key stone for alleviating any health problem even not having at all. If running were turned into a medicine, it would be only medicine that might cure, be used every day without any side effects against all of these thousands diseases known and unknown, like Covid-19.
What we can do this cloudy period when Covid-19 have taken billions prisoner at home or hospitalized even worse killed hundred thousands and have potential to make much worse, presumable one did not get any viruses and tested positive? Do we still keep running, if yes how?
If you are after a heavy work out or post marathon, your glycogen stores will be depleted. This can reduce the normal functioning of your immune system. If you get exposed soon after your intense running, you are at a higher risk of contracting the disease.
On the other side there is a strong connection between regular exercise and having a strong immune system. Therefore, you don’t have to quit running completely. However, gyms are not safe due to gathering of people. While the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, causing running races—and many other large events—to be postponed and canceled.
David Nieman, Dr.PH., health professor at Appalachian State University says that he best plan for running right now is to go out for a solo run and enjoy the outdoors, in noncrowded areas. And, try timing your run for when you know the trails will be less crowded.
Additionally, people might be afraid to run in the colder weather for fear of illness, but that’s not true; there is no data that you will get sick from really any respiratory pathogen when running in cold weather, Nieman says.
Getting in 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to brisk activity can help your immune system keep viruses at bay. Be sure you know what’s going on in your area and if there are any restrictions or mandatory self-quarantines. And, if you’re sick or at-risk of spreading the virus, you shouldn’t go out—the bigger concern is spreading it to those who are at high risk, such as the elderly or immunocompromised.