Your breath can cue a multitude of benefits to your IMMUNE system and the stronger your cardiorespiratory fitness, the more protected you are. The lungs and heart power the many pathways toward immunity, which is why the way you breathe and your overall cardiorespiratory fitness are so important! Your lungs move oxygen-rich blood to the heart via capillaries and then your heart extracts oxygen from the blood and pumps it around your body – like to the muscles you are using while cycling, doing strength moves, etc. That boost in muscle movement and oxygen flow also sparks the increased circulation of immune cells. Exercise trains your heart and lungs to pump oxygen-rich blood more efficiently and send more IMMUNE cells into active duty! It’s the power of exercise, via the heart-lung action, that spurs the circulation of IMMUNE cells. When we are sedentary or at rest, our immune cells hunker down in our lymphoid tissue, like soldiers awaiting the call to deploy. But, when we breathe deeper and more rapidly and heart rate goes up and muscles contract during exercise, it signals those powerful IMMUNE cells to circulate and patrol the body for pathogens for up to three hours afterwards! Over time, the uptick in roaming immune cells translates into fewer days sick compared with non-exercisers!!!
RIDE ON!! STRENGTH ON!!!