Exercise after Covid-19 is one of the most important parts of your recovery. The right exercise can help you recover faster and prevent future injuries, while the wrong exercise can result in more pain and even more serious injuries. Here are some dos and don’ts to help keep you safe:
Covid-19 has significantly impacted the performance and wellbeing of athletes.
The viral infection, Covid-19 1https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1 , has significantly impacted the performance and wellbeing of athletes. The virus was first identified in 2019. It is a highly contagious virus that can be transmitted through the air.
Athletes who have been infected with COVID-19 can experience a decrease in their physical abilities, a decreased ability to focus and stay alert, and a reduced ability to recover after exertion. This can be due to the effects of COVID-19 on the immune system, which reduces natural killer cell activity and the production of antibodies. This indicates that while there are many ways to protect yourself from this virus, it's important to take extra precautions when exercising after having been exposed to Covid-19.
DO make sure you’re fully recovered from Covid-19 before returning to sport and exercise.
As a general rule, it's important to be fully recovered from Covid-19 before returning to sport and exercise. All of us recover at different rates, so listen to your body. The severity of the infection, age and fitness level are just some factors that affect how long you’ll need before resuming your regular activities. But in general, if you're feeling well enough for a short walk or light jog around the block then it's likely that you're ready for more strenuous exercise too.
DON”T push yourself too hard.
Give yourself time to recover after a cold or flu and don't rush back into high-intensity activities too soon. You can still work out, but try starting with low-intensity exercise such as walking or gentle cycling if you feel drained by exercise at the moment.
Start with a low level of intensity, frequency and duration before gradually building up over time as you feel stronger again.
Gradually increase the duration of your workout (for example from 20 minutes to 30 minutes), rather than increasing it sharply from one day to another – this will help prevent any soreness or injury during rehabilitation from a cold or flu
DO complete a slow warm up before you start exercising.
The first step to exercising after a cold or the flu is to warm up. It's important to get your body moving slowly before you start exercising at full speed, so that even if you start feeling sick, your muscles will be ready for it and you won't injure yourself. A good warm up might include:
- A slow jog
- A few stretches
- A few light weights on each arm (or light reps if you're doing an exercise like push ups)
DON’T forget Keep your strength and conditioning exercises.
The best way to maintain the strength and fitness you've built up is to keep up with your regular activities. Strength and conditioning exercises are important for maintaining muscle mass, so don't let this time off be an excuse to stop working out altogether. You can also incorporate new techniques into your regular routine by adding in some supplemental exercises:
- Pushups
- Pull-ups
- Squats
DO be kind to yourself about any changes to your fitness level after covid.
Exercising during the recovery from COVID-19 can be challenging. It's important to remember that you might not be able to do as much exercise as you did before and that's okay.
You may have lost a lot of muscle mass, so it will take some time for your body to get back into shape. If you were exercising regularly before the pandemic, it's possible that you'll need to cut back on the amount of exercise you do until your body has had time to recover.
DON”T let yourself get frustrated if it takes you longer to recover than you expect.
When returning to exercise, don't let yourself get frustrated if it takes you longer to recover from covid-19 than you expect.
It's normal for your body to feel more tired and sore than usual during the first few weeks of your recovery. The key is not getting frustrated—if you do, that frustration can make things worse by causing you to push yourself too hard, which can lead to injury.
Instead, give yourself plenty of time to recover before setting any new goals for yourself..
When not to return to exercise after COVID
Remember that your heart and lungs play a key role during physical activity. So, it’s important to speak to a medical professional before attempting any physical activity if you:
- still have any ongoing symptoms of long COVID
- had moderate or severe infection that meant you were bedbound or admitted to hospital during your illness
- have a history of heart problems
- experienced any heart-related symptoms during coronavirus, such as chest pain, palpitations, severe breathlessness or fainting
- have a history of lung disease
- have lung-related symptoms from coronavirus that haven’t gone away or have gotten worse, such as a persistent cough or severe breathlessness
Your doctor might want to do further tests, including checking the health of your heart and lungs before you can exercise.
If you take the proper precautions, exercising post-CVID can be a fun way to spend time, burn some calories, and strengthen your heart and lungs. If you're unsure of what exercises are safe for you to do, consult your doctor, PT and even your gym who can direct you to a trusted professional in personal training Miami or San Francisco etc to get you back on track safely.
Additional resources and citations
- 1https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1