Jogging, nordic walking and going for a walk - inter-disciplinary recommendations to keep people physically active in times of the covid-19 lockdown in Tyrol, Austria

Abstract

Physical activity has a strong impact on physical and mental health. It prevents diseases, strengthens the immune system, and helps to reduce stress. Moreover, physical activity increases the psychological well-being, with outdoor exercise showing even more positive effects. In times when national regulations also restrict the possibilities for exercise, the authors—referring to scientifically sound findings and adhering to the current social distancing rules—recommend allowing moderate outdoor sports activities (jogging, Nordic walking, going for a walk) and the use of park trails, hiking trails, and forest roads in easy terrains.

Pre-eminence of Moderate to Robust Physical Activity in Battling COVID-19: A Narrative Review

“…(Fallon, 2020) Almost every country affected has imposed massive restrictions on public and private life (Sahu and Naqvi, 2020), here the population's opportunities for physical activity have been severely hampered; hence, providing joint contribution of sports science and sports medicine to provide scienti ically based recommendations for exercise in times of COVID-19 lockdown is vital. (Frühauf et al, 2020) To avoid arbitrary conclusions, a reasonable exercise planning must be proposed by scienti ic research society. (Li, 2020) It's proven that structured workout plans helps sustain physical activity performances and VO 2 max and avoid deconditioning.…”

“…Physical activity forestalls infection, improves the immunity, aids with stress reduction, increase psychological well-being etcetera. The outcomes are even more bene icial if the activities are outdoor (Frühauf et al, 2020). Among the steps taken to combat the pandemic is the shutting down of gyms, prohibition of open space use for exercising, thus disrupting itness of athletes and others.…”

“…jogging and hiking practiced by non-risk groups on wide forest roads and easy forest trails, where keeping adequate safe distance is possible, poses a low risk of injury as well as contagion/spread of disease. On the contrary, there are numerous positive effects on physical and mental health, which far outweigh the low risks associated with injuries (Frühauf et al, 2020).…”

How children and young people can stay physically active during the novel coronavirus pandemic while take into account safety measures and precautions

“…Among others, recommended activities are (brisk) walking (outdoor or at home), Nordic walking, jogging, running (outdoor or on the spot at home), bicycling, stair climbing, lifting and carrying groceries or transporting items of moderate weight, as well as household tasks such as cleaning, gardening, washing and ironing clothes, sweeping floors, vacuuming, and mowing the lawn. 15,18,20,22,23,25,27,28,[30][31][32][37][38][39][40][41][42] In addition, some papers suggested activities such as Qigong and Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi, or dance-based exercise. 15,17,22,23,41 In their paper, Schwendinger and Pocecco recommended intermittent high-intensity interval training (i.e., alternating bouts of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods) with bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, burpees, air-squats, jumping lunges, single-step climbing, and rope skipping.…”

“…In terms of safety measures and precautions, it has, for example, been recommended to pursue safe environments, 23 maintain social distance, 22,23,40,41,51 and avoid crowded environments. 20,25,51 Moreover, Hudson and Sprow emphasized that the highest level of risk for children involves team competitions against peers from other geographic locations.…”