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Responding to a newly released global study which found that physically activity is a preventative against COVID, ExerciseNZ President Richard Beddie has called on the New Zealand Government to work with the industry body to deliver clear messages for physical activity during COVID, a move he also feels should be backed by immunologists.

The widely reported study in the highly respected British Medical Journal (BMJ) shows that physically activity is a preventative against COVID, with almost 40% fewer hospitalisations among people who are physically active. It also reveals that exercise helps with those who are in lockdowns.

With the BMJ study, based on findings from the Cologne Public Health Department in Germany, calling for recommendations to be made to support physical exercise, given the clear benefits of it has in the immediate and long term for people, Beddie notes that New Zealanders are grasping to manage the impact of physical activity on covid symptoms and their perception of physical performance, fatigue and exhaustion during stay-at-home orders.

As a result, Beddie, who is also Vice Chair of the Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA) Advisory Council, advised "we need a more holistic public health response as many immunologists appear not to grasp the benefits of exercise. 

“I would be so happy to have a public debate on the issue with Otago university professor Michael Baker about it.

“Today, I call on the (New Zealand) Government to work with ExerciseNZ around clear messages for activity during covid, but more significantly how physical activity is preventative and has no negative side effects.”

With the Cologne Public Health Department study looking at how people who exercised during covid lockdowns benefitted, Beddie says the study confirmed people with acute and long-term positive effects of covid clearly benefitted from exercise during lockdown.

Beddie went on to say "physical activity is considered a protective factor for non-communicable diseases, but due to the restrictions of daily life, less physical activity was observed during the pandemic.

“The study found people who were active during quarantine felt fitter, less tired and less exhausted during this period.

“The benefits of exercise should be repeatedly emphasised during subsequent medical care, and people should be encouraged to exercise or exercise more.”

With the pandemic having had an enormous impact on human life worldwide, with considerable economic, health, economic and psychosocial consequences, Beddie added "in the absence of possible therapeutic countermeasures and vaccinations that only became available in Germany at the end of 2020, various contact restrictions and curfews were imposed to protect high-risk groups and prevent an overload of the health system.

“The research showed people who exercised more during the initial covid-related restrictions had better mental health and well-being than those who did not.

“Physically inactive infected individuals had a more severe disease course of covid than active ones."

Images: Club PIlates (top) and Richard Beddie (below).

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