The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent, severe worldwide health emergency spreading quickly. The COVID-19 pandemic is currently at the top of the list in terms of global distribution compared to prior pandemics the world has seen. This is the first time the entire world has been impacted simultaneously and severely over a short period. At first, the death rate with COVID-19 was about 1.5%, but it is closer to 3-5% (Ammar et al., 2020). Although the figures do not appear to be dire, the overall number of instances and the frequency at which they grow daily worry the circumstance. Global lockdown and the massive rise of COVID-19 cases have resulted in the isolation of millions of people. COVID-19 has had an impact on almost everyone’s life worldwide. This has greatly led to inactivity since all their tasks are at home.
Work-from-home policies have made it harder to distinguish between personal and professional lives, and the lockdown has worsened this situation. Additionally, people have been reflecting on the significance of their physical fitness, which is a crucial issue at home. Even if putting a lockdown or quarantine on the populace has been one of the most popular strategies to halt the rapid expansion of COVID-19, it also has serious drawbacks (Ammar et al., 2020). Recent international studies have demonstrated the detrimental effects of COVID-19 constraints on social engagement, subjective well-being, mental health, psychosocial problems, sleep habits, and work status (Ammar et al., 2020). The sudden lockdown of all services and activities—aside from a few critical ones—as announced by the authorities has drastically altered the way of life of those affected and has negatively impacted their mental health, as seen by elevated levels of worry, stress, and despair.
Physical activity and exercise are two examples of abrupt changes in people’s lifestyles, but there are others. COVID-19 home restriction has reduced all levels of physical activity, increased daily sitting time, and increased unhealthy eating habits (Bavel et al., 2020). Everyone has been affected by these sudden changes. Still, many people who routinely followed their training routines in gyms, on the ground, or other locations before the lockdown have been severely impacted. People have been compelled to stay at home due to the closing of fitness facilities and public parks, disrupting their daily routines and making exercising more difficult.
While the compulsion to stay at home for a long period poses a challenge to the continuity of physical fitness, the experience of hampered physical activities, restricted social communication, uncertainty, and helplessness leads to psychological and physical health issues. Varshney et al. (2020) have found that psychological problems occur in adults while adjusting to the current lifestyle due to the fear of contracting COVID-19 disease. However, effective coping strategies, psychological resources, and regular physical exercise can help deal with such health-related problems during the COVID-19 pandemic (Varshney et al., 2020). It is crucial to remember that regular exercise and fitness help our bodies respond to the harmful effects of numerous ailments like hypertension, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. They also maintain our physical and psychological health.
One of the most effective factors for good health is physical activity. Enhancing the performance of multiple physiological systems aids in the prevention and treatment of numerous physical and mental health disorders. Lieder and Griffiths (2019) point out ways to utilize physical activity’s positive health benefits could lessen the trauma the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause. First, engaging in physical exercise may lessen the severity of COVID-19 infections. The lung tissue is where this virus binds. When a virus is detected, the immune system assaults it. The struggle between the virus and immune cells brings on inflammation. This inflammation results in lung tissue injury that can get acute and call for treatment with mechanical ventilators. How does this pertain to exercise? Muscles release substances during exercise that enhance immune system performance and lower inflammation. As a result, exercise helps to enhance the two biological mechanisms that fight infection. Exercise has been shown to positively affect immunity, inflammation, and viral respiratory infections, even if studies on COVID-19 individuals have not yet been done. Muscles can be a formidable ally in battling the effects of infection because they make up 20–30% of body weight, but only if the muscles have been used (Bavel et al., 2020). Moderate vigor physical activity, like jogging, has the best effect, but strenuous exercise, like marathon running, temporarily lowers the immune function.
Second, physical exercise reduces the chance of serious illness and mortality in people with the coronavirus. These conditions include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and eight types of cancer. Even though health officials strongly advise physical activity, little is done to encourage active lifestyles (Shigemura et al., 2020). To lessen the severity of illness after infection, it makes sense to urge people, particularly those with chronic problems, to remain somewhat active before contracting an infection. According to the WHO, regular exercise is any skeletal muscle-driven movement involving energy use. All movement, whether done for recreation, transportation to and from locations, or as part of a person’s job, is considered physical exercise. Both vigorous and moderate physical activity is beneficial to health. Walking, cycling, wheeling, sports, active recreation, and play are all common methods to be active that anyone may do for fun and at any ability level. It has been demonstrated that regular exercise helps control and prevent non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and several malignancies. Additionally, it lowers blood pressure, maintains a healthy weight, and enhances mental clarity, well-being, and quality of life.
Third, as the pandemic spreads, it is predicted that anxiety and depressive symptoms will worsen. Fortunately, physical activity provides significant advantages for mental health. Every physical activity session improves mood and lowers anxiety, making daily exercise a partial remedy for the pandemic’s stress. Being active is just as effective for folks already experiencing distress as drugs and treatment. The most popular form of exercise is walking, which is affordable, available to most people of all ages, and conducive to preserving social distance. Some diseases have been shown to negatively affect mental health (Ammar et al., 2020). An increased chance of more severe COVID-19, including the possibility of hospitalization, a risk factor for extended COVID, has been linked to depression and various mental diseases. Mental health disorders are linked to more severe symptoms and last longer in other acute respiratory tract diseases like the flu or the common cold.
Lastly, the body’s reaction to psychological stress produces hormonal imbalances between cortisol and other hormones that harm circulation and the immune system. Environment-driven pressure on biological evolution has existed since the beginning of time. Predation and other environmental stressors like natural disasters improve an organism’s capacity for survival and reproduction, and physiological responses that encourage such responses might be chosen (Lieder & Griffiths, 2019). These animal reactions include adjustments that boost the flow of glucose and oxygen to the heart and the major skeletal muscles. Physiological support for adaptive actions like fight and flight is the end outcome. Since fighting and running include the risk of injury and the subsequent entry of infectious pathogens into the circulation or skin, as well as the danger posed by the environment (such as a predator), immune reactions to stressful situations may be part of these adaptive mechanisms. Exercise and stress reduction are suggested methods for restoring cortisol balance. So, regaining cortisol equilibrium is another way that exercise reduces inflammation and boosts immunity.
In conclusion, the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly disrupted life worldwide. It has interfered with practically everyone’s daily routines, even those who rely on gyms for their physical training regimen. The lack of gym atmosphere and the absence of gym partners, which are also thought to be potential sources of gym motivation in past studies, are other characteristics that are seen to be responsible for the lack of fitness motivation (Thakare et al., 2017). It is significant to remember that because humans are social creatures, we enjoy each other’s company and feel a sense of community. It has been discovered that this sense of connectedness is tied to several psychological dimensions, including perseverance, motivation, self-efficacy, and physical and mental health. One of the likely causes of the lack of drive for at-home training was the absence of the sense of community that people were used to feeling in a gym setting. Making sure that we follow our daily routine at our home will make us healthier and prevent more circumstances of COVID-19 from harming society.
References
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