How does exercise boost your immune system

Could physical activity play a major role in boosting your immune system and preventing bacterial and viral infections?

It turns out that engaging in regular physical activity is important for maintaining your health and warding off disease. This is because exercise improves your general health, which in turn may support the functions of your immune system.

This article explains how exercise can strengthen your immune system and offers some guidance on whether you should exercise while you’re ill.

Does regular exercise help your immune system?

Simply put, yes. Increasing your immunity is just one of the many ways that exercise is good for your body. There is one crucial qualification, though: the quantity, length, and intensity of your workouts matter.

Moderate-intensity exercise is best, according to research, for enhancing immunity (1).

The best exercise for boosting the immune system is typically moderate to vigorous exercise done for no more than 60 minutes. Your immune and metabolic systems continue to strengthen if you practise this regularly or almost regularly, building on previous gains (2Trusted Source).

On the other hand, excessive high-intensity training can weaken your immune system, especially if you don’t allow enough time to recover between sessions (2Trusted Source).