CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- A new study conducted by University of Virginia cardiovascular medicine professor Dr. Zhen Yan suggests regular exercise can reduce a person's risk of contracting deadly health complications, such as the coronavirus. 

He believes the pandemic is a reminder for people to exercise on a regular basis. 

"This pandemic is a wake-up call so that everyone of us should pay attention to our lifestyle and we should exercise regularly," said Yan. "At this moment, it is my recommendation for everyone if you can."

He said doing exercises that focus on cardio is better instead of strength. 

"The type of exercise that is relevant for this particular situation is aerobic exercise, which means the exercise will increase your heart rate and breathing rather than lifting weights," said Yan. 

In addition to exercising, he said it is important to get good sleep while also having a healthy diet, which should complement your fitness efforts, along with maintaining social distancing while exercising. 

"We reduce the chance of being infected, but in case you get infected, you won't be the 80 percent of patients that have mild symptoms," he said. 

He recommends people work out every day for at least 30 minutes. 

"We often say no pain, no gain, I would change that to enjoy exercise," he said. "You'll find that it's often enjoyable if you go exercise regularly and that will help you to make sure you have healthy life and happy life."