Coronavirus pandemic is no excuse for not getting enough exercise: WHO

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the coronavirus pandemic is no excuse for not getting enough exercise. In an of its physical activity guidelines yesterday, the UN health agency stressed that exercise is vital to physical and mental health, while sedentary behaviour can have serious repercussions. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement in Geneva that being physically active is critical for health and well-being — it can help to add years to life, and life to years.

The WHO’s head of health promotion Ruediger Krech told reporters that if we do not remain active, we run the risk of creating another pandemic of ill-health as a result of sedentary behaviour. He told reporters that there are still no clear statistics on what impact the pandemic has had on physical activity, but lockdowns, movement restrictions, gym closures and other measures have clearly forced many people to stay home and have disrupted regular activities and exercise routines.

WHO has estimated that pushing more people to get off the sofa or office chair to move about more could avert up to five million deaths each year