UNDATED -- The latest research suggests regular exercise reduces the risk of severe coronavirus symptoms.
The Kaiser-Permanente study published this week surveyed nearly 50,000 adults who tested positive for COVID-19.
Researchers found people who are the most inactive were almost two times more likely to be hospitalized with severe coronavirus symptoms, and two and a half times more likely to die.
They define inactivity as zero to ten minutes of exercise per week.
"This is a wake-up call for the importance of healthy lifestyles and especially physical activity," said Robert E. Sallis, MD. "This study truly shows how important that is during this pandemic and beyond. People who regularly exercise had the best chance of beating COVID-19, while people who were inactive did much worse."
Dr. Sallis is a family and sports medicine physician at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center in Pasadena, California.
The study shows even people who were "inconsistently active," maybe working out a few times a week, or less, had lower odds for severe COVID-19 compared to those who were inactive.
Dr. Sallis says exercise is the best medicine.
"Walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week at a moderate pace and that will give you a tremendous protective effect against COVID-19. I continue to believe that exercise is medicine that everyone should take, especially in this era of COVID-19."