ABC | Volume 114, Nº6, June 2020

Viewpoint Physical Activity And Reducing Sedentary Behavior During The Coronavirus Pandemic Francisco José Gondim Pitanga, 1 C armem Cristina Beck, 2 Cristiano Penas Seara Pitanga 3 Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), 1 Salvador, BA – Brazil Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, 2 Palhoça, SC – Brazil Universidade Católica do Salvador, 3 Salvador, BA – Brazil Introduction The novel coronavirus pandemic recently declared by the World Health Organization 1 has led several municipal and state health departments to issue decrees closing different spaces intended for practicing physical activity. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health 2 has prepared a manual with several initiatives to prevent the spread of the disease, in addition to making decisions suggesting social isolation and recommending that people remain at home. All of these measures have made it more difficult for the Brazilian population to practice physical activity. On the other hand, the literature has consistently provided evidence regarding the diverse health benefits that physical activity promotes, 3 especially to the cardiovascular/metabolic 4 and immunological system. 5 More recently, the literature began to show evidence that health is related not only to regular practice of physical activity, but also to reduced sedentary behavior, in other words, time spent sitting, lying down, or reclining during the day, excluding sleep hours. 6 Accordingly, there is an important need to continue practicing physical activity during the novel coronavirus pandemic; however, some measures should be observed in order to keep this practice safe. It is worth emphasizing that even in the city of Wuhan, China, the initial epicenter of the disease, it was recommended that people continue practicing physical activity inside their homes. 7 Furthermore, it has become important that the population be informed regarding the need to reduce sedentary behavior during this period of social isolation. Thus, the objectives of this viewpoint are to emphasize the importance of these issues and to propose suggestions for continuing practice of physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior during the novel coronavirus pandemic in Brazil. The important of practicing physical activity and health benefits Physical activity and cardiovascular andmetabolic health The benefits of regular physical activity to cardiovascular/ metabolic health have been widely published in the literature for a long time. Physical activity has been shown to be inversely associated with blood pressure levels, diabetes, lipid alterations, and other cardiovascular events. 4,8 With respect to duration and intensity of physical activity required for these benefits to occur, a recent publication suggested that 180 to 300 minutes of moderate to intense activity weekly for men and 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to intense activity for womenwould be themost adequatemeasure for promoting cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits. 9 These recommendations are in agreement with themain physical activity guidelines published by international organizations. Physical activity and the immune system The immune system is an important defense mechanism of the body. It is capable of recognizing and eliminating a series of invasive microorganisms. The first line of defense is made up of leukocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, monocytes), which are natural killer cells, acute-phase proteins, and enzymes. The second line of defense is made up of T and B lymphocytes and imunoglobulins. 5 Practice of physical exercise modulates the quantity of these substances in the organism, both increasing and decreasing, and the magnitude depends on the intensity and duration of physical activity. In relation to leukocytes, for example, during practice of physical activity, their concentration increases, and it is immediately reduced following physical practice, especially after exercise with long duration and high intensity that may lead to immunosuppression, according to the theory of the “open window,” when there is a depression in the immune system after strenuous exercise, leaving the organism more susceptible to bacteria for a period of 3 to 72 hours. It is worth stressing that the period of immunosuppression is much shorter after light to moderate exercise without prolonged duration. 5 The importance of reducing sedentary behavior and cardiometabolic health Sedentary behavior is defined as activities characterized by low energy expenditure, not exceeding 1.5 metabolic Mailing Address: Francisco José Gondim Pitanga • Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) - Av. Reitor Miguel Calmom, s/n. Postal Code 40110-060, Salvador, BA – Brazil E-mail: pitanga@lognet.com.br Manuscript received March 24, 2020, revised manuscript April 08, 2020, accepted April 08, 2020 Keywords Pandemics; Coronavirus; Exercise; Physical Activity; Leisure Activities; Screen Time; Population Dynamics; Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena DOI: https://doi.org/10.36660/abc.20200238 1058