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"Relieves stress and increases immunity with exercise"

At the end of September 2020, a webinar event with the topic Staying Sane and Fit during the Covid-19 Pandemic was held by the Medical Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret (FK UNS) with participants consisted of lecturers and other participants. This webinar presented two speakers, one of them was Prof. Dr. Hartono, dr., M.Si. as the Director of the UNS Hospital (RS UNS) in his topic of reducing stress and increasing immunity with exercise.

Since the end of 2019, Covid-19 pandemic started from Wuhan (Hubei Province, China), in less than a year, almost all countries in the world were affected the Covid-19 pandemic. This Covid-19 pandemic would be over, but it was predicted to take a relatively long time and may not even be finished (such as DFH, Morbili, Varicella, etc.). According to this situation, the medical world will always be ready to face the endless Covid-19 pandemic.
The main preventive steps for the community that are supported by the government or non-governmental organizations as regulators through strong information and education, are first to prevent transmission of spread by physical distancing, wear masks, and wash hands or use hand sanitizers as often as possible. Then the second step is to increase endurance through exercise, balanced nutrition, avoiding stress, immunomodulators, basking in the sun, etc. The first and second steps are important to do because if we only do the first step it would be risky.

In society, current Covid-19 pandemic is responded as a "threat" and became a stressor that affects the mood and stress of people which results in weak immune system. Stressful behavior that is too high would suppress our immunity or endurance. The way to accept the situation in this pandemic is to react rationally, got closer to God Almighty by worshiping, recreation, or by exercising regularly.

Exercise becomes stress management, so that the mood can be relatively stable and our behavior became proportional. The function of exercise helps us manage and regulated our stress especially due to Covid-19. Exercise must be done gradually, regularly, and with the correct dose of exercise. The correct exercise dose includes: intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise. If we are wrong in exercising it will reduce our immunity or endurance.
Cardio is a type of non-competitive sport that has rhythmic and regular movements, which can increase heart rate. This type of exercise is able to trigger contraction of the body's muscles, increase heart rate, and improve blood circulation. Types of cardio exercise, namely: walking, stationary or dynamic bicycle, running, swimming, gymnastics, aerobics, rowing, etc.

Doing exercise with moderate intensity we do, because if we exercise excessively (experiencing fatigue) it will actually shed or reduce our immune system. Those statements were delivered by Prof. Dr. Hartono, dr., M.Si. as the Director of UNS Hospital online.

 

Public Relation of FK UNS: Ari Kusbiyanto
Translator: Wartini