WHAT NSW HEALTH SHOULD BE TELLING US ABOUT COVID
With many experts now claiming that almost everyone will have ‘a date with Covid’ at some point, we can resign ourselves to living with Covid for years to come. After all, strains of the 1918 pandemic still exist in modern day flus.
This is a scary scenario as we are already so weary of mask wearing, isolating, missing important events in the lives of people we love and living with the stress and fear of what a date with Covid-1 might do to us.
As we are now over two years into the pandemic, there is enough data on what makes some people more likely to get chronically ill from Covid-19. And yet, NSW Health and other health authorities are not sharing any of this information in a way that can help us to be better prepared for the longer term.
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We all know that people who are elderly and/or immunocompromised are vulnerable, but the one thing that stands out brightly to me from the research is that people with cardio-pulmonary conditions (i.e. weakness or damage to the heart and lungs), are significantly more vulnerable. This can be due to a number of factors including:
Carrying excess weight - The strain on the body from being overweight or obese, and thus stress on the heart through increased blood pressure and cholesterol
Inactivity – the heart is a muscle and you make it stronger by working it and raising your heart rate through movement. You will lose it if you don’t use it enough!
Diabetes - High blood glucose causes inflammation in the body, damages blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels
Age - if you develop illness or injuries as you get older that stop you from participating in more vigorous movement regularly (another good reason why all adults should do some strength training).
Chronic stress and anxiety – both short and long term stress can impact heart health in different ways
Damage to the lungs from smoking – if this is your Achilles heel, get help. Do what you can to cut back and stop.
Given that so much of our health authorities’ messages are about the immediate things we need to do to protect ourselves (vaccinating, socially distancing, mask wearing – all of which are undoubtedly vital in the short term to slow down transmission rates), it is quite concerning that so little is being done and said to help equip ourselves for the longer term Covid journey.
So it squarely puts the onus is back on each of us to be prepared and take personal responsibility for our Covid preparedness. But what can we do to improve our heart and lung resilience and increase our chances of coming away from our Covid19 “date/s” without serious repercussion?
1) Move more, and more frequently – Get that heart rate up!!
If you have been on the couch (or glued to a desk) for a while, even starting with a 10 minute walk every day will help. For optimal health, it is recommended that we do 150 minutes of moderate to high intensity exercise per week. Preferably you would spread this out over most days of the week, for example, five 30 minute bursts of exercise per week.
Build on your current level of fitness by making these sessions a bit longer and adding either a few hills and/or some speed in a few weeks. If you need a bit more spice to get your motivated, come along to a Zumba class. If you want to make it short and sharp, check out our Hiit classes!
2) Get your Vitamin D, preferably from the sun!
Low levels of Vitamin D have been linked to higher risk of Covid-19 severity and mortality, and this is also a well-documented factor in many other chronic diseases. This is another great reason to incorporate some outdoor time into your daily routine and taking advantage of those breaks in our current wet summer to do some outdoor activities. Don’t forget the sunscreen if you are outside for longer periods or in the middle of the day!
Supplements can help in the absence of sun and there is some evidence to support this. Vitamin D absorbs better in your body when you don’t have many other vitamin and mineral deficiencies, so ensure you are also eating a healthy plant based diet and lots of leafy green vegetables.
3) Lose that excess weight and keep it off!
A 2020 Dutch study of over 1600 Covid-19 hospitalisations showed that over 70% of these people where either overweight or obese. I was too scared to explore the mortality rates. We all know that a thicker waistline is associated with numerous health issues, especially diseases affecting the heart. We also know that even a few weeks of increased activity will give you substantial health benefits and start reducing your risk. So even if it takes months or even years to reach your healthy weight target, the benefits of getting started on this journey are there from day one.
Combine regular movement (see point 1 above) with small incremental changes to your diet; start with drinking more water instead of other beverages and cutting back on snacks between meals. The sugars and fats in processed foods are your worst enemies so steer towards homemade meals that don’t come out of a packet. And get those multi-coloured vegies onto your plate!
4) Look at your life balance in general – getting good sleep helps with reducing stress, weight loss and reducing inflammation in your body. Look at ways of simplifying your life and cutting back on ‘multi-tasking’(you know, checking social media while you talk to your mum on the phone on top of a ladder). Be particular about what you give your attention to and aim to just do one thing at a time – and do it well. This will improve your effectiveness, your IQ (seriously!) and your mental health, which in turn reduces stress and anxiety, reduces body inflammation and strengthens your heart.
Become an advocate for your own health and start taking small actions to improve your heart and lung health. Don’t wait for that official NSW Health message to reach you as you might be waiting for a a very long time There is no doubt that the fitter and healthier your heart and lungs are, the less you will be impacted by Covid-19, the less you will fear it. And if you are unlucky enough to go on that blind date, the more forgettable it will be.