Is It Important to Perform Physical Activity During Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)? Driving Action for a Correct Exercise Plan

摘要

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to outbreak all over the world causing a publichealth concern (1) and on March 11th, the pandemic was declared a public health emergency ofinternational proportions by World Health Organization (WHO). To limit viral transmission, mostgovernments introduced national quarantine reducing movements and social interaction with theimperative “stay at home.” Lockdown is considered the extreme option to protect health and inparticularly most vulnerable people (those aged ≥65 years, and those with pathologies such aschronic heart, lung kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, and obesity), but it caused considerabledisruption to the routine of the general population (2, 3). The closure of gyms, stadiums, pools,dance and fitness studios, physiotherapy centers, parks, playgrounds reduced the possibility topractice Physical Activity (PA) in outdoor setting and, in general, the exercise options (4, 5).Although PA and exercise management in autonomy is challenging, some authors suggest thatexercise and regular PA are useful to help ease anxiety and to improve mental health and generalwell-being (6, 7). Moreover, Nieman and Wentz (8) showed the beneficial role of PA in diseaseprevention, as an adjuvant treatment in chronic diseases with a protective effect on the immunesystem, whose optimal status is crucial to respond adequately to the threat of COVID-19 (8). In thisOpinion article, we analyze possible adaptations of the exercise guidelines to the current pandemicemergency, proposing an Exercise Schedule to prevent or mitigate the physical inactivity (9–11).