Question: What diet do you suggest post Covid and also some experts have warned against doing exercises. So, please suggest an exercise that one should do post-Covid?

Dr Anoop Misra’s Reply

Diet should be a balanced meal with high protein content (for veg: Soybean, cowpea, almonds, bengal gram, oats, lentils, milk etc.) with 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Greasy and fatty foods, sugary drinks, and outside food must be avoided. Exercise should be started gradually and should combine stretching and aerobic exercises and escalated in a gradual manner depending on severity of previous COVID19 and existing comorbid diseases including heart disease.

EXPLAINER

Anyone who had severe illness or was hospitalized with Covid-19 needs to consult a physician about whether it’s safe to exercise. But even people who experienced mild illness or no symptoms need to take precautions before exercising again.

Don’t exercise if you’re still sick. Do not exercise if you have active symptoms, including a fever, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath at rest, or palpitations.

Slowly return to exercise. Even if you had only mild symptoms, with no chest pain or shortness of breath, you should still wait until you have at least seven days with no symptoms before returning to exercise. Start at just 50 percent of normal intensity. A gradual, stepwise and slow return to full activity is recommended.

Stop exercise if symptoms return. If you develop symptoms after exercising, including chest pain, fever, palpitations or shortness of breath, see a doctor.

Some patients should see a cardiologist before exercising. If you experienced chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue during your illness, you should see a cardiologist before restarting sports.