Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): The need to maintain regular physical activity and healthy diet while taking precautions.
The on-going Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in China has become the world's leading health headline and is causing major panic and public concerns. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.
The virus as quickly as possible is the urgent public health priority, there have been few public health guidelines for the public as to what people can or should do in terms of maintaining their daily exercise or physical activity and healthy diet routines. Arguably, staying home, while a safe measure, may have unintended negative consequences since such efforts to avoid human-to-human transmission of the virus may lead to reduced physical activity. It is likely that prolonged homestay may lead to increased sedentary behaviours, such as spending excessive amounts of time sitting, reclining, or lying down for screening activities (playing games, watching television, using mobile devices); reducing regular physical activity (hence lower energy expenditure); or engaging in avoidance activities that, consequently, lead to an increased risk for and potential worsening of chronic health conditions, Therefore, there is a strong health rationale for continuing physical activity in the home to stay healthy and maintain immune system function in the current precarious environment.
Healthy diet and Exercise at home using various safe, simple, and easily implementable exercises is well suited to avoid the airborne coronavirus and maintain fitness levels. Such forms of exercise may include, but are not limited to, strengthening exercises, activities for balance and control, stretching exercises, or a combination of these. Examples of home exercises include walking in the house and to the store as necessary, lifting and carrying groceries, alternating leg lunges, stair climbing, stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand using a chair and from the floor, chair squats, and sit-ups and pushes. In addition, traditional Tai Ji Quan, Qigong exercises, and yoga, should be considered since they require no equipment, little space, and can be practiced at any time. The use of eHealth and exercise videos, which focuses on encouraging and delivering physical activity through the Internet, mobile technologies, and television, are other viable avenues for maintaining physical function and mental health during this critical period.
Official measures that restrict people's movements in the presence of the coronavirus crisis do not necessarily mean that physical activity must be limited or that all forms of exercise must be eliminated entirely. Exercise has been shown to have clear health benefits for healthy individuals and for patients with various diseases., In this respect, we strongly echo Dr. Steven Blair's quote from Dr. Ken Powell: “Some activity is better than none, and more is better than less” (p. 525), The aim should be to undertake at least 30 min of moderate physical activity every day and/or at least 20 min of vigorous physical activity every other day.18 Ideally, a combination of both intensities of physical activities is preferable in addition to practicing strengthening-type activities on a regular basis. Children, the elderly, and those who have previously experienced symptoms of illness or are susceptible to chronic cardiovascular or pulmonary disease should seek advice from health care providers about when it is safe to exercise.
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