Study: Exercise strengthens brain’s resilience to stress
A study by researchers at Emory University in the US has shown how exercise can strengthen the brain's resilience to stress through a protein called galanin.
The research team studied two groups – one which regularly exercised and another which didn't. They then measured anxious behavior in the test subjects 24 hours after an artificially created stressful event.
Those who exercised showed less anxious behavior after the stressful event compared to those that didn't exercise.
The exercise group also had elevated galanin levels in the locus coeruleus (LC), a cluster of neurons in the brainstem involved in the stress response.
Crucially, the amount of time spent exercising correlated with the amount of galanin in the LC, which in turn correlated with the degree of stress resilience.
Read more here: https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-news/Emory-University-exercise-resilience-stress-galanin-/346218
Exercise May Boost Your Vaccine Response
(The New York Times) If you are an athlete, you may gain greater immunity from a flu shot than people who are less active, according to two complementary and timely new studies of exercise and vaccinations. The two studies, which involved the same group of elite runners, swimmers, wrestlers, cyclists and other athletes, suggest that intense training amplifies our vaccine response, a finding with particular relevance now, as the flu season looms and scientists work to develop a Covid-19 vaccine.
Read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/well/move/exercise-may-boost-your-vaccine-response.html
Gyms Mitigating Risk Pose No Extra Risk
Governments have unfairly deemed health and fitness clubs as high-risk businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. To prove otherwise, IHRSA has put together data and facts.
“Until there is a vaccine, overall health and immunity is the best option we have in fighting off a global pandemic. The data and statistics are here in writing—we have absolutely been undervaluing the importance of keeping health and fitness facilities open during the coronavirus crisis. Many facilities have shown that with safety procedures and cleaning guidelines in place, reopening is possible without increasing the spread of COVID-19.”
Alexandra Black Larcom, Senior Manager of Health Promotion & Health Policy, IHRSA.