8 Ways to boost your immunity and be fit
Now a days, when Corona is expanding its purview daily and the weather is getting a change, this is the adequate time for a self-commitment to maintain a healthy life-routine and boost our immune system.
our immune system plays a key-role in protecting our body from harmful substances, germs and other kind of cell-changes that can make us ill. the system is made up of various organs, cells and proteins. any disorder in this system disrupts the body’s ability to defend itself against bacteria, viruses and parasites.
however, our immune system gets weaker due to several common lifestyles that we generally follow in ignorance. on the contrary, some dietary and life-style changes may significantly improve our immunity and thus the disease-causing organism.
here are some recognized and valuable expert tips in this respect
1- Get enough sleep
sleeping habits are closely related to our immune system. it has been found in various authentic medical researches, that those who slept fewer than 6 hours daily were more likely to catch a cold than those who took an appropriate sleep of about 8 hours. adequate sleep maintains our immunity by natural way. it makes us normal. that’s why we need more rest when get a sick. adults should aim to get 6 to 8 hours sleep daily, according to experts, while infants need more time for rest. with the passing of age, this sleep requirement gets reduced by and by.
if you face difficulties in sleep, try to search and put off the obstacles. phone, TV, computers are the top-most things now a days that disrupts our sleep. as, the blue light emitted from these e-resources can cause a disturbance in the cardiovascular-rhythm, and also in our natural bio-clock. So, we should limit our screen-time in this respect. a regular exercise routine, going to bed timely, listening to certain music and attending a meditation session daily can be so helpful in fostering a proper sleep habit.
2- Take healthy fats
we should now end-up our ignorance of distinction between good and bad fat. try to choose ‘good’ poly or mono-unsaturated fat over saturated fat, that’s known as bad. healthy fats like olive oil or Omega 3&6 acids found in fish and nuts have high anti-inflammatory properties. since chronic inflammation can effectively suppress our immunity, these good fats make our body compatible naturally to combat general sickness. the simple criteria is to check if the fat is good or bad, is, the good fats don’t get solid form when put in normal room temperature.
3- Improve your diet plan
The foods we eat, play a crucial role in determining our immunity and overall health. foods, rich in fibers and complex or low energy carbohydrates, that digests rather slow, help to regulate our blood-pressure and sugar levels. as the persons with diabetic or cardiovascular problems are more likely to develop immunodeficiency diseases, a low carbs and high fiber diet can overcome the situation. we should focus on proteins for a good body shape and fitness as well. added or refined sugar products should also be cut-off from our diet-chart. Glycemic index (GI) is a scientific criterion to evaluate and recognize a carbohydrate diet, foods with high GI value means having good carbs.
4- Pro biotics & fermented foods
Pro-biotics, substances that maintain our gut-health. gut-health and our immunity are deeply interconnected. fermented foods are cheap & best sources of pro-biotics, that bolster our immune system by helping it identify and target harmful pathogens. researchers suggest that a flourishing network of gut bacteria can help our immune cells differentiate between healthy, normal and harmful cells. besides fermented foods, there are yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, natto etc., that we can use as good sources of pro biotics.
5- keep on moving
Studies shown that even a single moderate session of exercise can boost the effectiveness of vaccine in persons with rather weak immune system. also, a regular exercise routine can reduce inflammation, that to regeneration of our immune cells go on uninterrupted. thus, moderate exercise promotes the healthy turn-over of our immune-cells. although prolonged and intense workout may suppress one’s immunity, but light exercises like — brisk-walk, jogging, swimming, cycling etc., can rejuvenate the system.
6- Stay hydrated
Although it does not directly affects on viruses or bacteria, yet it’s crucial to maintain our overall health. dehydration causes headaches and hindrances in physical performance, focus, mood, digestion, heart & kidney functions. these complications can increase the susceptibility to illness. one needs more water if exercising hard. water is the basic medium that facilitates every bio-chemical reaction in human body. that’s why it’s so important to keep our body hydrated. it’s also important to note here, that older adults begin to lose the urge to drink as their bodies don’t signal thirst adequately.
7 – Meditation the best medication
Meditation helps to keep our body-mind-soul balance in a tone. it’s the best natural way to release stress. too much stress releases cortisol, the hormone that impairs to immediate surroundings and makes our body suspectable to various infections. meditation is a tried, tested and trusted device to calm our nerves. ‘Pranayama’ is also very helpful in maintaining one’s mental health and fitness, as our emotions are directly connected to our breath. these Yoga methods are especially valuable in this crisis period of Corona, when a prolonged period of staying indoors has it’s own implications on our mentality.
8- Supplements & herbs
While all the above-mentioned tips will help anyone effectively, one should also be sure of getting adequate amount of nutrients properly. we should consult a doctor to get these substances through supplementary pills that are easily available in marketplace. vitamins, especially b, c and e are important for our immune system. zinc is also a key factor for maintenance of our immunity.
in addition to these, we should also try to avoid some bad addictive habits, like irregular daily routine or sleeping, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, excess intake of junk-foods etc.
These are becoming a modern lifestyle today. while researches show that excessive drinking may stimulate the production of free radicals, that damage cells including immune cells. smoking or baking have been proven to weaken the lung’s capacity and destroy cell-linings on the respiratory tract, that plays a vital role in fighting viruses or other infections. so, one should at least try to moderate these self-destroying habits, if can’t quit at once. never forget, your life is always in your hands, through the lifestyle you adopt for yourself.