Don’t Let Physical Inactivity Be a Side Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get Out and Walk!
By Ken Reed
Like a lot of us lately, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time on Zoom. Invariably, whether it’s a work or personal Zoom session, someone will say “I really need to get more exercise during this pandemic.”
Undoubtedly, it’s tougher these days to exercise. Health clubs, recreation centers and gyms have been closed. In some areas, parks aren’t even open.
But for the most part, all of us can get out and walk; if nowhere else then around the neighborhood.
Leading a sedentary lifestyle, in conjunction with the stress of a potentially deadly pandemic, along with pandemic-related financial stress, not to mention the personal stress of not being able to hug friends and relatives, is a recipe for physical, mental, and emotional health problems.
Walking is a simple activity with tremendous benefits, including helping you fight off the coronavirus. Moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with better immune function, according to the website exerciseismedicine.org. Exercise is Medicine is a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine. Regular physical activity, including brisk walking, can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, three fairly common side effects of this coronavirus.
In a piece for CNNHealth, Lisa Drayer wrote:
“In fact, research shows that ‘fit individuals’ — defined as those who partake in regular physical activity — have a lower incidence of infection compared to inactive and sedentary individuals. What’s more, being physically active may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases that could further weaken your immune system, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.”
It’s important to stress that to get the tremendous benefits of exercise, you don’t need to partake in high intensity running, biking or swimming. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that consistent lower-intensity physical exercise, like walking, can lower the risk of death from any cause by 18%.
Walking is also great for the brain, which will make you more effective while working from home. Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara says the brain evolved to support movement and if we stop moving the brain doesn’t function as well. He points out that based on scientific literature, people who engage in physical activity before they engage in a creative activity are more creative.
“One of the great overlooked superpowers we have is that, when we get up and walk, our senses are sharpened,” says O’Mara.
So, click out of that Zoom meeting, bust out of COVID lockdown for awhile, and go outside and use one of your superpowers: walking!
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
Sports Forum Podcast
Episode #6 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Need for Quality Physical Education in Our Schools is Greater Than Ever – The guest is Clayton Ellis, a SHAPE America board member, former national physical education teacher of the year, and one of our nation’s leading advocates for getting our young people to be more physically active.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor.
Follow on Facebook: @SportsForumPodcast
More Episodes on Apple Podcasts; Spotify; Google Podcasts; PocketCasts; & Anchor
Episode #5 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Youth Sports with Positive Coaching Alliance Founder Jim Thompson – Thompson started Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) in 1998 to help create a movement to transform the culture of youth sports from “win-at-all-costs” to a positive, character-building experience.
Episode #4 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: The Biggest Issue in Sports Today? Brain Trauma – The guest is Patrick Hruby, a journalist who has done extensive research and in-depth writing on the topic of brain trauma in sports, most notably football.
Episode #3 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: Coaching Styles with Sports Sociologist Jay Coakley – The guest is veteran sports sociologist Jay Coakley, a former college athlete who went on to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology from Notre Dame.
Episode #2 – League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast: College & High School Athletics: Where Do We Go From Here? The guest is John Gerdy, a former college athlete and NCAA and SEC administrator who became a sports reformer later in his career.
Episode #1: The inaugural episode of League of Fans’ Sports Forum podcast. The topic is Title IX and equal opportunity in sports. The guest is long-time Title IX and civil rights activist Donna Lopiano.
Media
"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
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