Fitness

Can exercise boost your immune system? Yes, if you do it correctly – here’s how

Published

1 year ago

November 28, 2024

Can exercise boost your immune system? Yes, if you do it correctly – here’s how

Convinced something ‘is going around’? You could be right. People on Reddit are claiming they’re experiencing the ‘worst cold ever’ this winter, while the UK’s Health Security Agency has issued advice over rising flu and RSV cases. The good news is that exercise could help protect you from catching anything. We asked Women’s Health Collective trainer India Morse for her advice, including whether you really can ‘sweat it out’ if you’re already sick, and what type of exercise is best to boost your immune system.

When can exercise boost my immune system?

‘Exercise certainly can boost your immune system, but it’s worth keeping in mind that – as ever – prevention is better than cure. If you’ve already contracted symptoms, it will take more time to recover. The standard rule of thumb is that you should avoid training until your symptoms are above the neck, like congestion, sneezing or a sore throat. Studies show that exercising with more severe symptoms can make you feel worse, so it’s important that you listen to your body.’

What type of exercise can boost my immune system?

Jacob Wackerhausen//Getty Images

Studies show moderate exercise is best for boosting your immune system

‘Once you feel ready, research by the Journal of Sport and Health Science has shown that moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can stimulate cellular immunity by increasing the circulation of immune cells in your body. This means your body will be better prepared to fight off future infections, while the increased blood flow will provide your cells with the oxygen and fresh nutrients needed to get back to full health.

‘The aforementioned study recommends daily workouts lasting 30-45 minutes, but as you’re already unwell, start with 15 minutes of mild to moderate exercise and see how you feel the following day. Try a light jog or a short outdoor speed walk to avoid infecting others, if your illness is contagious.’

How can exercise boost my immune system?

‘Other research has shown that your body temperature increases and remains elevated for a short time after a workout. This rise in body temperature can prevent bacteria from growing, while helping your body to fight off infection, since it stimulates your immune system and bacteria and viruses can’t survive in higher temperatures.

‘Another big bonus of exercise is its ability to supercharge sleep quality, and research shows that sleep can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to the common cold and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, since sleep is when your body produces antibodies – proteins in your cells that bind to unwanted substances and get rid of them.

‘Naturally, you’re probably feeling more stressed than usual if you’re already unwell. Moderate exercise has also been proven to slow down the release of stress hormones, while separate research has shown that stress can impact your immune system by impairing the function of natural killer cells (or NK cells), which protect you from infection and disease. The more consistent you are with moderate exercise, the stronger your NK cells.’

How often should I exercise to boost my immune system?

‘Remember that exercise is more effective in staving off illness than it is in curing it. As research proves, stick to 30-45 minutes of daily moderate exercise, like brisk walking, tennis, Pilates, yoga or riding a bike and, I’d wager that the number of sick days you’ll take will reduce. If you do happen to be someone that’s already feeling unwell, rest up until your symptoms move above the neck, and ease off if you start to go downhill. Patience is a virtue.’

Janet Street-Porter, 79, swapped intense exercise for these low-impact workouts to ‘live to 100’

Published

9 minutes ago

February 17, 2026

Press Room

Janet Street-Porter, 79, swapped intense exercise for these low-impact workouts to ‘live to 100’

Janet Street-Porter has no interest in slowing down. At 79, the broadcaster and journalist is focused on one goal: staying active, independent and sharp well into her 80s, 90s and beyond.

She’s determined to become a centenarian. ‘My full intention is to live to be 100 and to live a very full life so anything that comes along that might impede that, I go absolutely crazy,’ she revealed to The Express. ‘I want my body to be operating at peak capacity, peak efficiency and if anything goes wrong I can’t handle it. I’ve got all painkillers going.’

Intentional – but not obsessive – movement is a key part of that strategy.

Janet’s step count goal

‘Keeping fit is essential, but I don’t like to be militant about it,’ she told The Telegraph. One daily habit is walking around 5,000 steps. ‘You don’t have to power walk,’ she said. ‘Just put one foot in front of the other. As a writer, I spend a lot of time on the computer, but I make sure that I do an hour and a half of walking every day.’
A shorter session works just as well. ‘Even if you do half an hour; just do something,’ Janet added. ‘I also think it’s important to walk in the morning and in the afternoon.’ It’s even better if the walk becomes a chance to switch off. ‘Whatever you do, do not take your phone with you!’
Advertisement

Her low-impact workouts

Low-impact exercise is also high on her list. ‘I swim now in rivers and lakes. It’s less stress on my muscles,’ Janet told Yours. Tennis and swimming in the sea are regular features too, although she was quick to point out: ‘That’s not to say that I swim like an Olympic athlete. I prefer to do a ladylike breaststroke!’

Managing arthritis and avoiding overtraining

Over the years, Janet has become increasingly mindful of how exercise affects her arthritis. ‘Mentally you’re all right but your joints are stiff,’ she told Yours. And she cautions against overtraining. ‘I had a gym in my house for 20 years and I had a personal trainer once or twice a week for 10 years,’ she said. ‘However, that’s what wrecked my legs.’
Excessive intensity has occasionally caused problems. ‘I’ve had a lot of injuries through exercise, and an arthritic condition that was aggravated by weights,’ she added to The Telegraph. Managing her condition while continuing to move is therefore critical: ‘Thankfully, I have found a mixture of various exercises that work for me.’
Her diet

Janet isn’t overly rigid about her diet either. ‘[On the weekend], I have a full English. My partner Peter cooks it,’ she told the Manchester Evening News. She balances indulgence with nutrient-dense choices: ‘He’ll do bacon and eggs from the local farm shop, tomatoes or mushrooms, occasionally black pudding. I’ll precede that with dark fruit: blueberries, black grapes, pomegranate seeds.’
Ageing with positivity

Ultimately, ageing well is shaped as much by attitude as lifestyle. ‘It’s all about your mindset. Living in the past is the most ageing thing. [Instead], live in the present,’ she told The Telegraph, before concluding, ‘Just get up every morning and, even if it’s the dreariest of days, say to yourself “Today will be fantastic.”’
Advertisement

Continue Reading

Fitness

Doing hip longevity lunges daily could help you feel 25 at 65 – here’s why they really work

Published
12 hours ago
on
February 17, 2026

By
Press Room

It is possible to counteract age-related mobility decline. Fact. While research shows that hip mobility reduces by 6-7% per decade after the age of 55, other studies show that long-term stretching and mobility after the age of 60 can produce meaningful improvements – and mobility and stretching coach @stretchy.bendy says there’s one exercise everyone needs: lateral lunges with hip rotations.
‘Want to move like you’re 25 when you’re 65? You need this move,’ she says. ‘When you think about your everyday movement, we’re basically moving forwards and backwards. But our hips are made to rotate in and out. When we stop rotating our hips, we get an achy lower back, cranky knees and of course, stiff hips. This move will bring rotation back.’
Here’s exactly how to do it.

Instructions

Stand wide, feet pointing forward, then send your hips back and bend into your right knee.

Check your knee alignment – make sure it’s above your ankle, pointing in the same direction as your toes. You don’t want it to fall in.

While your hips are sinking back, hips squared, take the straight leg and simply go up onto your heel and rotate, so your toes are pointing up, then rotate to tap your toes down.

Continue for 4-6 reps, then repeat on the opposite side.

‘Add this to your daily routine and I promise you’ll feel amazing, age well and move well forever,’ @stretchy.bendy says. And don’t just take her word for it – her followers concur it works. One wrote: ‘I was 83 but after I tried this, I’m 63 again.’
As for how long it’ll take for you to feel a significant difference in your hip mobility, one study on home-based exercise programmes that included daily hip rotation work showed noticeable improvements in hip range of motion (how far your hip joint can move, in all directions: flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotation) after six weeks. Squatting down to pick something up or getting into a chair should feel easier, as should crossing your legs and getting in and out of a car. Any lower back pain should also reduce.
If you do feel any pain, @stretchy.bendy recommends ‘keeping your stance narrower, reducing the depth of the lunge, and skipping the rotation (toe lift)’. ‘Always listen to your body and stay in the ranges that feel strong and supported,’ she adds. ‘And if your physio or medical professional has given you specific guidelines, follow those.’
Advertisement

As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red.Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.

Continue Reading

Fitness

Looking to improve your fitness? Exercise science students looking for volunteers

Published
1 day ago
on
February 16, 2026

By
Press Room

Through the upper-level course Exercise Testing and Prescription, Elon students will work one-on-one with volunteer participants from the university community.

Share: