Fact Check: Can Too Much Exercise Reduce Your Immunity?

We’ve always heard about the boost to your immunity when you make exercise a regular part of your life. All fitness professionals will tell you the reasons exercise is good not just for your body and mind, but overall health as well. It's a no brainer that better immunity means better quality of life.

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How is exercise linked to immunity?

Exercise improves one’s immunity in the following ways:

• Reduces inflammation
• Clears the lungs and improves respiration
• Regulates body temperature
• Increases bone mineral density
• Regulates blood sugar level
• Reduces the risk of obesity
• Improves brain function
• Regulates metabolism

All these factors help keeping the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various cancers at bay. The process is such that fluids regularly transport blood, oxygen, and blood cells all over the body, flushing out toxins and regulating one’s metabolism. Proper nutrition and recovery are also vital to ensure the muscles are being repaired and energy is being provided to the body constantly.

Multiple studies have shown that individuals who take part in regular exercise, at least the recommended 150 minutes per day, exhibit signs of better immune function.

However, some studies have also liked extreme exercise to a drop in immunity. This can likely be attributed to overtraining by some individuals.

Overtraining, i.e. exercising at high intensities without taking adequate rest and recovery breaks, can prove detrimental in several ways such as:

• Improper recovery of muscles
• Irregular sleep
• Fatigue
• Susceptibility to illness
• Higher chance of infections

So, if you are an athlete who trains heavy several days of the week, it is important to take adequate rest and recovery breaks, so that your muscles and tissues can repair themselves and get you back up on your feet to perform better the next time.

Even if you are someone who exercises regularly, it’s essential to take your days off exercise. Failing to do so will lead to exercise burnout and will impair your performance and development.

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So, based on evidence, it is safe to say that exercise does indeed play a part in improving one’s immunity in the long term.

Always keep in mind that nutrition and recovery are also important factors in fitness and are important to maintain one’s health. You can give it your all during exercise, even work out multiple times a day or in the week, but if your eating habits are unhealthy, all your efforts are likely to go in vain.

Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining immunity. Image via Unsplash/Alyson Mcphee

Similarly, don’t forget to take rest days for your recovery. Impaired performance from burnout has been proven to be a large source of demotivation in many individuals, and this is why most people quit their fitness journeys.

So be sure to hit the gym regularly, eat your meals on time, and get enough sleep at night. It’s just a few small habits every day to lead to a more fruitful life with better health - mental and physical.