Can a Healthy Immune System Help with COVID-19?

Did we ever imagine we would be in a lifestyle as we currently are? One of the

best recommendations to help fight against COVID-19 is to build our immune

systems. So . . . get good rest, eat lots of fruits and vegetables plus good quality

protein, limit sweets . . . and . . . EXERCISE. Choose something you will do! A

couple of my favorites:

Yoga is pretty all-encompassing. Yoga strengthens muscles, increases flexibility,

reduces stress and anxiety, and encourages better sleep. One of the reasons I love

yoga is learning to breathe deeply. When you breathe from the belly and expand

your lungs it allows more oxygen into your blood stream—which feeds the body

and the brain. Working your way through yoga poses actually massages your

internal organs. Why is that important? to keep your body functioning more

efficiently.

Now if you choose Dancing (my favorite) as one of your forms of exercise,

Ballroom dance can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol, improve

cardiovascular health, strengthen weight-bearing bones, help prevent or slow

bone loss related to osteoporosis, lower the risks of obesity and Type 2 Diabetes,

and promote increased lung capacity.

Depending on the type of dancing you do, you will most likely gain or maintain

flexibility, build better balance, thus preventing falls, and, if you dance fast

enough to elevate your heart rate to a certain level, you will be getting a good

aerobic/cardio workout. Also, you will burn up to 600 calories (I'm just estimating

here), so you will probably lose some fat. I have had students lose from 50-120

pounds after 6 months of dancing. I have also had students overcome depression

and anxiety. Dancing is all-encompassing—it is a fun activity that sharpens the

mind, increases aerobic power and strength, builds social bonds, and can reduce

pain and stiffness.

So, let’s build our immune systems to not only fight COVID-19, but other illnesses

as well. Eat nutritiously, rest well, laugh a lot, and choose exercise that you enjoy

and will do and that accomplishes the above benefits! Check our yoga and dance

schedule for classes: susansballroomdance.com