Column: Staying active helps combat mental, physical stress

It’s safe to say that most people, like my family, aren’t being active during the pandemic.

We spend most of our time sitting on the couch or in the kitchen eating.

During the pandemic, it’s important to stay active, because staying active helps prevent you from the risks of illnesses and diseases associated with aging.

Along with campus remaining closed for the rest of the school year and moving to remote instruction, large companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple and many others told their employees to start work from home due to Coronavirus.

Most of us are staying at home for our safety. According to the American Heart Association, staying active not only helps you look fit but helps you feel, look and live better. Staying active can help with stress, anxiety, depression and anger.

Healthline.com writes that exercise is an important activity to do when you want to combat stress because through exercise you can relieve mental anguish. It is recommended that you do exercise regularly because studies show that people who do are less likely to experience anxiety than those who don’t.

Sedentary activities like sitting can increase your risk for heart disease and stroke, a study shows that adults who watch more than 4 hours of television a day have a higher chance of dying from cardiovascular disease.

So by staying active, you can help lower your chance of having high blood pressure and heart disease , and you may help yourself sleep better at night.

Walking or stretching, while minimal, helps combat mental fatigue and gets your blood flowing. So escape your bed chambers and get moving!