It's completely normal for healthy adults to get respiratory infections yearly. Respiratory infections include things like the common cold, pneumonia, bronchitis, COVID-19, and sinusitis. There are a number of factors that contribute to a person's risk of getting recurrent respiratory infections. These factors include:
Increased exposure to infectious organisms
Smoking or secondhand smoke exposure
Winter months
Dry mucous membranes
Allergies to dust, pollen, molds, and more
Sleep deprivation
AND THE BIGGEST ONE OF THEM ALL
Physical inactivity
The World Health Organization and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends an average of 150-180 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to decrease your risk of recurrent respiratory infections.
Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity
Examples of activities that require moderate effort include:
Walking fast
Doing water aerobics
Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
Playing doubles tennis
Pushing a lawn mower
Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity
Examples of activities that require vigorous effort include:
Jogging or running
Swimming laps
Cycling
Playing singles tennis
Playing basketball
The CDC also recommends at least 2 days of strength training each week to improve the overall functioning of your immune system. Just a single strength training session can improve your immune cell function and if done consistently will improve your immunity all together and reduce inflammation.
The immune system is very respondent to exercise. A narrative review released in 2022 (10.1016/j.jshs.2022.08.002) looked at the role physical activity plays in the incidence and severity of a range of acute respiratory infections (ARI). The graphic below is from that review and shows the percent reduction in infectious disease and ARI incidence and mortality rates in physically active compared to inactive adults.
This review found that MVPA significantly decreased the total infectious disease and respiratory disease incidence and mortality among those adhering to MVPA guidelines.
The data is pretty conclusive. If you aren't regularly meeting the MVPA guidelines of 150-180 minutes per week your immune system is likely fighting a losing battle against a wide range of infectious diseases.
If you are someone who tells themselves they don't have time to exercise 150-180 minutes a week (30 minutes 5-6 days/week), ask yourself if you have enough time to miss 46% more days of work. Because according to the data, if you don't meet these guidelines that's the risk you are taking.
You deserve to be in charge of your own health. You have the power to be in charge of your own health. If you struggle to make time for exercise and prioritize your health, the best advice I can give you is to find a coach. Coaches help you stay consistent, provide accountability during those times that motivation is low, or excuses become easy to make. Coaches help you set goals, develop a plan, and adhere to that plan.
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