20 minutes of exercise a day can help reduce risk of COVID-19, according to new study

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A new study found that you can help lower your risk of COVID-19 with just a few minutes of exercise a day.

According to new study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, if you get 150 minutes of exercise a week, or roughly 20 minutes a day, you have an 11% lower risk of getting COVID in the first place, a 36% lower risk of hospitalization and a 43% lower risk of death from the virus.

11 News spoke with Life Time in Briargate, located at 4410 Royal Pine Drive, which says exercising can be as simple as going for a walk, doing yard work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and more.

“Start slow. Go do just a little bit at a time, get your body worked up to a higher level and higher intensity of exercise. Also, have a plan. If you don’t have a goal, if you are not working towards something, your likelihood to adhere to that plan to see long term benefits and really develop a lifelong program out of it, is extremely low,” said Kevin Spitznagel, personal training leader at Life Time Colorado Springs.

Life Time experts say during the pandemic, if people were already in the habit of working out, they would find outdoor areas to exercise rather than in public spaces. But, if people were not already in the habit of working out, Life Time found that many people ignored exercise altogether during the pandemic.

“Not just physical health, but mental health, brain health, cellular regeneration, exercise is innate to the way that our bodies are meant to function; we’re meant to move, so when we neglect that, our bodies are going to start breaking down. It’s just an essential pillar of how we’re meant to operate in our day to day lives,” said Spitznagel.

Life Time says not only does exercising reduce the risk of COVID-19, but also heart disease, stroke. diabetes and cancer.

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