Whenever the subject of aerobic exercise and good health arises, many folks think mainly about losing weight and strengthening their cardiovascular system.
While those are certainly positive side effects of exercise, there is yet another aspect of aerobic exercise, namely that exercise improves the immune system, that everyone should consider.
Does Aerobic Exercise Improve the Immune System?
Regular exercise really can bolster the immune system, and it can do so in a few key ways.
Engaging in regular aerobic exercise offers several benefits that can enhance immune function and overall health. Here’s how aerobic exercise contributes to a stronger immune system:
1. Enhanced Circulation
- Increased Blood Flow: Aerobic exercise increases blood flow, which helps circulate immune cells more efficiently throughout the body. This allows the immune system to detect and respond to infections more effectively.
2. Reduction in Inflammation
- Lower Chronic Inflammation: Regular aerobic exercise helps reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to various diseases. Lower inflammation levels allow the immune system to function more efficiently without being overburdened.
3. Improved Immune Cell Function
- Activation of Immune Cells: Exercise stimulates the production and release of various types of immune cells, such as macrophages, T cells, and natural killer cells. These cells play crucial roles in identifying and destroying pathogens.
- Enhanced Surveillance: Regular physical activity enhances the immune system’s surveillance capabilities, helping it detect and combat pathogens more effectively.
4. Stress Reduction
- Lower Stress Hormones: Aerobic exercise helps reduce the levels of stress hormones like cortisol. High cortisol levels can suppress immune function, so lowering these levels helps maintain a healthier immune response.
5. Improved Sleep Quality
- Better Sleep: Regular aerobic exercise is associated with improved sleep quality. Good sleep is essential for immune health, as it allows the body to repair and regenerate, including the immune system.
6. Weight Management
- Healthy Weight: Maintaining a healthy weight through regular aerobic exercise can prevent obesity, which is linked to a compromised immune system. A healthy weight supports optimal immune function.
7. Anti-Aging Effects
- Reduced Cellular Aging: Regular exercise can help reduce the aging process at a cellular level, which includes maintaining the effectiveness of the immune system as you age.
8. Reduced Risk of Chronic Diseases
- Disease Prevention: By reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, aerobic exercise indirectly supports the immune system. Chronic diseases can weaken immune function, so preventing them helps maintain a robust immune system.
9. Raises Body Temperature
- aerobic exercise works to raise the temperature of the body. Anyone who has exercised before knows that doing so makes you feel physically hot. This is because the blood rushes harder and more rapidly throughout the body. This can replicate what happens when you have a mild fever, eradicating some germs that are attempting to establish themselves in the body.
Aerobic Exercise Boosts White Blood Cells
Raising your temperature and breaking a sweat is a smart way to burn calories and eradicate bacteria. Forcing your blood to pump through the body more vigorously offers another positive.
Blood is full of white blood cells in the average person, and these cells are the ones that work to battle diseases that may be present.
During a workout with increased blood flow, it is easier for the white blood cells to find and attack disease within the body. This means that an issue can possibly be nipped in the bud sooner than it might otherwise have been.
Exercise Increases Breathing
Finding a problem at an earlier stage can help the body address the infection more efficiently. The increased rate of breathing that comes from exercise can flush bacteria from the respiratory system as well.
Normal breathing done at rest can allow bacteria to settle where they wish. However, by working the lungs during cardio exercise, they have a harder time finding a home.
Easy Ways to Exercise
Though it is true that aerobic exercise is great for the immune system, you need not become obsessed with working out in order to reap the benefits.
Even a brisk walk or a light jog every day can bring about the positive benefits of exercise for immune function.
There is no need to attempt a marathon, just go for a fast walk when you have the time.
Incorporating aerobic exercise into your daily routine can be easier than you might think. Here are 10 practical and enjoyable ways to get your heart rate up and improve your cardiovascular health:
1. Cycling
- Commute by Bike: If possible, ride your bike to work or run errands.
- Leisure Rides: Enjoy a weekend bike ride through your neighborhood or local park.
2. Dance
- Dance Classes: Join a dance class such as Zumba, hip-hop, or salsa.
- Home Dance Sessions: Put on your favorite music and dance around your living room for 20-30 minutes.
3. Swimming
- Swim Laps: Visit your local pool and swim laps for a full-body workout.
- Water Aerobics: Join a water aerobics class for a low-impact aerobic workout.
4. Fitness Classes
- Group Classes: Participate in group fitness classes like aerobics, kickboxing, or step aerobics at your gym.
- Online Workouts: Follow along with online aerobic workout videos at home.
5. Sports and Recreational Activities
- Team Sports: Join a local sports league, such as soccer, basketball, or tennis.
- Recreational Activities: Engage in activities like hiking, kayaking, or rollerblading.
6. Household Chores
- Cleaning: Turn house cleaning into a workout by moving quickly and energetically.
- Gardening: Spend time gardening, which involves physical activities like digging, planting, and weeding.
7. Stair Climbing
- Use Stairs: Opt for stairs instead of elevators whenever possible.
- Stair Workouts: Do stair-climbing workouts at home or at a nearby stadium.
8. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Short Workouts: Incorporate HIIT workouts, which involve short bursts of intense activity followed by rest, for a quick and effective aerobic session.
9. Walking Meetings
- Active Meetings: Suggest walking meetings at work instead of sitting in a conference room.
10. Jump Rope
- Quick Sessions: Jump rope for a few minutes several times a day to get a quick cardio boost.
The truth is that too many people overdo it when it comes to aerobic exercise, and that can harm the immune system more than it helps, so just remember that as is the case with all things, moderation is key.
Taking an Immune Support Supplement
As well as getting regular, moderate exercise you can take further steps to boost your immune system naturally. These include the daily use of a zinc-based immune support supplement.
The ingredients in the pills by Immune Complex are clinically backed and have:
- Vitamins C, and E
- Zinc
As well as other natural components, all proven to help with curtailing the duration and severity of the common cold and flu, these ingredients also provide a general immune system boost.
Click here to read my full Immune Complex review
Last Updated on August 5, 2024 by Aileen