Dr Amin Azhari, Physical Medicine and rehabilitation, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences:

Corona virus is highly contagious, despite of providing possible care, it can be entered to body.

Now the question is: " What should we do when expose to virus in order to minimize vulnerability and experience less disability?

The shortest answer is summarized in strengthening immune system.

How to boost the immune system?

Although exercise should be a part of this answer, it is frequently ignored. On the other hand, the following questions arise, when we want to exercise simultaneously:   

1. What kind of sports should we do?


2. How long should we do exercise?


3. How often should we do exercise?


4. How should we do exercise?

For type of exercise, aerobic exercises as the most important group, are frequently recommended. However, in current situation, when the gyms, parks and public places have been less available, using treadmill or a stationary bike at home are of good choices.If they are not available, it would be helpful to run in the yard, otherwise you experience a fast run in situ.

The optimal time for aerobic exercise is 20 - 45 minutes.

It is recommend to do exercise about 3 times a week.

The important part of doing exercise is its severity which classified from mild to severe.

The next issue is how do you realize that the exercise intensity is appropriate? Firstly, based on the symptoms: if you experience a fast breath more than usual during exercise, slight sweating, and you feel some stretching in your muscles, the exercise is popper.

The other test is speaking test in which you can speak or tell short sentences during the proper exercise, i.e. moderate exercise, however you cannot sing or tell long sentences.

The most precise measure, is tachycardia, increasing heart rate especially during exercise. In this regard, the most important measure is maximum heart rate which is different by age. The elders, show lower maximum heart rate. Therefore, approximately 60 to 85% of maximum heart rate can be considered as a good measure for proper exercise.

The following recommendations should be followed carefully:

• The exercise place should be ventilated well


• Keep safe distance, 2 meters, from others.


• Wash and disinfect sport equipment before and after exercise


• Drink enough fluid before and after exercise.


• Avoid doing exercise in presence of fatigue or any other symptom of disease.


• Do not exercise in closed environments with no ventilation.


• It is not recommended doing exercise more than 5 times per week.


• Although team exercise is very attractive, it is not recommended in current situation.


• Follow sleep hygiene. It is preferred to sleep and wake at a certain time and have an around 8-hour sleep in 24 hours.


• Avoid smoking.


• Diabetic patients should be careful about control their blood sugar.


• Hypertensive patients should control their blood pressure.


• The last but not the least, is stress management in current situation. Stress can play the immunosuppressive role in development and progression of corona.