In a nutshell, the author tells us that working out really hard can reduce our immunity, while moderate exercise can help increase it, and being sedentary may keep us healthier than totally knocking ourselves out at the gym.
Duh.
Isn't it kind of intuitive that you might get sick, or worsen a mild sickness you've already got, by pushing yourself really hard with exercise? I know it is for me. But at the same time, I also know that the best remedy for that "I think I'm coming down with something" feeling is to head to the gym for a somewhat-relaxed workout. It's a fine line, of course, and I'm not always perfect at walking it. If there's an opportunity to push myself too hard versus not hard enough, I'll always opt for the former. But I do think I have a good sense of when I should skip the workout and stay in bed (or take full advantage of the literal meaning of "rest day," as I did on Sunday).
One thing I did find especially interesting in the article was that, apparently, the longer and harder the workout is, the longer your immune system will be suppressed afterward. Which makes sense, but it was nice to see it quantified (take a look at the article for a couple paragraphs relating to exercising mice and their immune responses for details). And overall, it's always good to get a reminder that washing hands and keeping your distance from sick people is the first line of defense in keeping bugs at bay.
Posts
I believe that, too. This week I felt like if I ran the intervals on Wed. night, they would have pushed me over the edge. I already felt like I was fighting something off. I did Jiu-Jitsu and it was pretty hard, then at the end I felt kinda like I had heartburn and thought that the intervals might make me feel sick. They are the hardest thing I do physically and psycologically.
ReplyDelete