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According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78 percent of the more than 114,000 COVID-19 related deaths between May and August were people age 65 and older. Many of those individuals had compromised immune systems due, in part, to a variety of other health conditions that include obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease, and hypertension.
Staying active can be challenging, as many older adults are remaining at home most, if not all, of the time to avoid the novel coronavirus. As a result, the very changes in lifestyle that keep people safe from exposure can also result in their adopting sedentary habits—which leave people vulnerable to serious health consequences should they get COVID-19.
The good news is that exercise improves the efficiency of the immune system in people of all ages. Every session of exercise mobilizes billions of immune cells throughout the body. The more immune cells circulate, the better they are at spotting and attacking potential pathogens.
How can older adults safely exercise and keep aerobically fit while stuck mostly at home without access to a gym? At the Aging & Brain Health Alliance at Rutgers University–Newark, we have been offering virtual exercise classes, by video conference or phone, for seniors using materials they can easily find around the home.
Here are a few suggested exercises from our fitness classes you can do safely on your own at home.
One of the best exercises to get you started on your fitness journey is to walk the floors of your home. Whether in a house or an apartment, take time every hour to get up and just walk. Set aside 5 to 10 minutes with the goal of increasing your daily step count and improving your overall cardiorespiratory health. Challenge a family member to join you and make it fun.
Use your walls to boost your immune system. Lisa Charles, CC BY-SA
You should also take advantage of your walls. Wall sits are an easy way to engage your muscles and work your body. Simply stand with your back against a wall; step your feet two feet away from the wall and open your legs hip-distance apart. While keeping your shoulders against the wall, slowly and carefully lower your body until you are sitting in an imaginary chair.
Remember to keep breathing, inhaling through your nose, and exhaling from your mouth, and you will begin to feel the burn in your leg muscles. Try coming up and down five times if you feel safe and comfortable doing so. (For extra security, keep a chair or something else nearby to hold on to if you lose your balance.)
How to work out your core while seated. Lisa Charles, CC BY-NC-SA
Finally, use a chair. Sit at the edge of a solid chair focusing on maintaining good posture. Plant your feet hip-distance apart; take a big inhale and, on the exhale, slowly lift one knee toward your chest. This is a seated crunch and it will engage your deep core muscles. Complete five of these knee lifts on each side, making sure to do each knee lift on the exhalation.
Exercise habits developed during this period of COVID-19—and maintained after the threat has passed—will support your immune health for years to come.
Mark A. Gluck is a professor at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University–Newark. Bernadette A. Fausto is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University–Newark. Lisa Charles is a fitness/wellness research coordinator for the Rutgers Aging Brain Health Alliance at Rutgers University–Newark. This article was first published on The Conversation.
