From the Editor’s Desk

From the Editor’s Desk Brent Manley

a strong immune system. What follows is some of what I found:

Physical activity may help flush bacteria out of the lungs and airways. This may reduce your chance of getting a cold, flu, or other illness.

These antibodies or WBCs circulate more rapidly, so they could detect illnesses earlier than they might have before. However, no one knows whether these changes help prevent infections.

The brief rise in body temperature during and right after exercise may prevent bacteria from growing. This temperature rise may help the body fight infection better. (This is similar to what happens when you have a fever.)

Exercise slows down the release of stress hormones. Some stress increases the chance of illness. Lower stress hormones may protect against illness. — medlineplus.gov I guess all this is a roundabout way of saying I’m glad I’m a runner. I’ll never set any records or win a big event, but that doesn’t matter. When I run, I feel good – during and after, even if it’s a hard workout, I have many reasons to feel like one of the luckiest guys in the world. Being able to run at my age is one of those reasons.

Happy running!

To keep the body in good health is a duty . . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. — Buddha Escape from Wuhan

In September last year, I traveled to Wuhan, a city I had never heard of until I was asked to work there for three weeks. I was impressed by the size of the city and its apparent prosperity. I was surprised when, about two months after I left for home in early October, it was reported that the coronavirus – now getting so much attention and doing so much damage – started in Wuhan. Apart from an Englishman with a cold, I don’t think I ran into anyone who was even slightly ill while I was there.

A lot of what’s being said about the outbreak of this virus centers on immune systems. I have heard and read that older people with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to the virus, That made me start thinking about my own immune system and whether all the running I do has helped my body build good defenses against viruses and other health threats.

With that in mind, I went online with a question about whether regular exercise can help a person build Exercise slows down the release of stress hormones.

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