There are many benefits of exercise on chronic pain. With the recent news of COVID-9, it’s also important to look at the impact of exercise on your immune system. In the past, it was thought that vigorous exercise could harm your immune system. Runners often reported infection symptoms after races and studies on immune function showed that immune cells flooded the bloodstream after a hard workout and then would disappear, leading many individuals to believe that the cells were damaged by the intense exercise. Newer research comes to the opposite conclusion that exercise actually improves your immune system. Runners actually experience fewer infections compared to inactive individuals. With the studies on immune cells, researchers have learned that immune cells move to the lungs, gut and other areas that are most vulnerable during exercise, but then will return to the bloodstream. Exercise lessens the risk of infection. It’s however, still important to protect yourself when you work out. Make sure you remember to wash your hands often, before and after exercise and avoid touching your face (especially if you’re in a gym)!