--- title: The Workouts That Can Prevent The Flu description: Vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise at boosting the immune system. canonical: https://time.com/56697/the-workouts-that-can-prevent-the-flu/ author: Women’s Health article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-17T04:01:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T07:13:44.006Z article:section: Health og:title: The Workouts That Can Prevent The Flu og:description: Vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise at boosting the immune system. og:url: https://time.com/56697/the-workouts-that-can-prevent-the-flu/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt321eeb8ede694557/69868b25169ab0615b278db0/workout-prevents-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=781&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 781 og:image:height: 439 og:image:alt: Study: Workouts Prevent Flu og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Workouts That Can Prevent The Flu twitter:description: Vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise at boosting the immune system. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt321eeb8ede694557/69868b25169ab0615b278db0/workout-prevents-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=781&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Workouts That Can Prevent The Flu > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c798a6b8-3a92-44fe-acb0-7d436eb82856&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) by [Women's Health / K. Aleisha Fetters](https://time.com/author/womens-health/) ## Women's Health / K. Aleisha Fetters Apr 17, 2014 4:01 AM UTC  Interracial Couple Jogging at Twilight Interracial Couple Jogging at Twilight Keith Bishop—Getty Images by [Women's Health / K. Aleisha Fetters](https://time.com/author/womens-health/) ## Women's Health / K. Aleisha Fetters Apr 17, 2014 4:01 AM UTC You know that vigorous exercise burns fat and builds muscle (**and it may even help fight cravings**)—and now you might be able to add “fight the flu” to its list of accomplishments, according to research recently released at National Science and Engineering Week. Through an online survey, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine polled more than 4,800 people on their health habits and found that those who exercised vigorously for at least two and a half hours a week were about 10 percent less likely to come down with a flu-like illness. Meanwhile, moderate exercise didn’t seem to have any effect on the flu. While all exercise is known to increase immunity, previous research in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology shows that high-intensity exercise is better than moderate exercise at improving the body’s aerobic capacity, a marker of overall health and fitness. And the fitter you are, the more likely your immune system will be able to wipe out nasty cells like the flu bug. [**Cold or Flu: Can you Tell**](http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/flu-symptoms?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-The%20Workouts%20That%20Can%20Prevent%20The%20Flu-%5F-Article-%5F-Cold%20or%20Flu%20Can%20You%20Tell) However, it’s important to remember that overdoing it on high-intensity exercise can actually wear down the immune system, per a 2014 study in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. Luckily, two and a half hours of high-intensity exercise a week is all your need to reap the flu-fighting benefits of hardcore exercise. Think you’ve already beaten this year’s flu? Not so fast. While we are nearing the end of the season, the nasty bug can strike any time of year, note the researchers. So for good measure, we’ve rounded up 10 of our [favorite high intensity workouts](http://www.womenshealthmag.com/tags/workouts?lc=int%5Fmb%5F1001&cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-The%20Workouts%20That%20Can%20Prevent%20The%20Flu-%5F-Article-%5F-WH%20Workouts). Try them out, and fight the flu and weight gain at the same time! [30-Minute Workout: Get Total-Body Toned with this No-Equipment Circuit Workout](http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/full-body-workout?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-The%20Workouts%20That%20Can%20Prevent%20The%20Flu-%5F-Article-%5F-30%20Minute%20Workout%20Get%20Total%20Body%20Toned%20with%20this%20No%20Equipment%20Circuit%20Workout) [_This article was written by K. Aleisha Fetters and originally appeared on Womenshealthmag.com._](http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/flu-prevention-workout?cm%5Fmmc=Time-%5F-The%20Workouts%20That%20Can%20Prevent%20The%20Flu-%5F-Article-%5F-The%20Workouts%20That%20Can%20Prevent%20the%20Flu) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/56697/the-workouts-that-can-prevent-the-flu/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/56697/the-workouts-that-can-prevent-the-flu/"},"headline":"The Workouts That Can Prevent The Flu","datePublished":"2014-04-17T04:01:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:13:44.006Z","description":"Vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise at boosting the immune system.","url":"https://time.com/56697/the-workouts-that-can-prevent-the-flu/","keywords":["Exercise","Research","flu"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt321eeb8ede694557/69868b25169ab0615b278db0/workout-prevents-flu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Women's Health / K. 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