People who exercised regularly before contracting COVID-19 were less likely to have trouble performing everyday tasks two years later, according to a new study published in BMC Public Health.

After having COVID, some people report ongoing fatigue, muscle weakness, and difficulty performing everyday tasks. To assess if being physically active before infection is associated with less disability post-infection, researchers led by a team from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil analyzed data from adults who had symptomatic, laboratory-confirmed COVID from December 2020 through March 2021.

For the study, physical activity was defined as exercising at least 150 minutes a week. Participants who reported exercising at least that much before infection were classified as physically active. 

Researchers assessed functional ability six and 24 months after infection by asking participants whether they needed help performing tasks such as shopping, preparing meals, cleaning, handling small objects, and taking medications.

The six-month assessment included 2,919 adults, and the two-year assessment included 1,927. At six months, 8.4% reported some difficulty completing daily tasks. That proportion climbed to 31.6% at the two-year mark.

Exercise may boost lung capacity, reduce inflammation

After accounting for age, sex, race, income, and body mass index, the researchers determined that those who met physical activity recommendations before infection had a 20% lower rate of functional disability than those who didn’t two years later.

While the researchers caution that physical activity and functional ability were self-reported, and an observational study can’t prove that exercise helped mediate disability, they hypothesize that exercise may improve lung capacity, support immune regulation, and reduce inflammation, which could improve COVID-related outcomes. 

These findings suggest that pre-infection [physical activity] may be associated with better long-term functional outcomes after COVID-19.

“These findings suggest that pre-infection [physical activity] may be associated with better long-term functional outcomes after COVID-19,” the authors conclude. “Therefore, promoting [physical activity] as part of public health strategies may be a crucial approach for improving functional recovery and reducing the prolonged effects associated with COVID-19.”