Boost Your Immunity Today
A number of factors affect your immunity each day. This becomes especially important during the colder months when a lot of people tend to get sick.
So here are some tips on how to stay healthy and happy, regardless of weather changes, more time spent indoors, and increased stress. You can incorporate these into your routine to increase your immunity naturally:
1. Eat Green. Plenty of greens, vegetables and fruits, is important to promote immune health. The following plants contain complex carbohydrates, the beta-glucans, that enhance immune activity against infections and reduce allergies, and contain anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.
Mushrooms (shiitake, maitake and reishi)
Garlic
Ginger
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Echinacea
Ginseng
2. Nix the sugar. Avoid eating a lot of processed foods and liquids with added sugars and artificial ingredients, such as aspartame, BHT, TBHQ, artificial food coloring, etc. because all of them suppress the immune response in the body.
3. Pick elderberry. Elderberries support the immune system and are a great source of vitamins C, A, and B6, and minerals iron, potassium, and calcium. It is also the second-highest antioxidant fruit.
4. Stock up on vitamin C. Seek out citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, lemon, lime, etc.), dark green vegetables, bell peppers, berries, kiwi, papaya, mangoes, tomatoes, and more. If in dire need and experiencing symptoms, find a natural supplement and increase the intake up to 3,000 mg.
5. Get your vitamin D. Vitamin D helps facilitate the anti-inflammatory process and fights infections from invading bacteria and viruses. Go outside for 15 minutes each day for a little bit of sun exposure. In addition, therapeutic supplementation is a good option as well. Ask your doctor as to how much you may need.
6. See your chiropractor. Chiropractic adjustment helps maintain a well-functioning nervous system by aligning the spine, which helps keep the immune system at an optimum level to fight illness.
7. Exercise. Move your body, period! Get your blood pumping, your heart rate up, your breathing accelerated, and relieve the stress and tension. As a result, it will help enhance your immune function.
8. Stress less. The stresses of the season can weaken your immune system by increasing the levels of adrenaline and cortisol in your blood stream. Long-term, chronic stress can create lasting effects on the body, making a person hyper reactive to inflammatory and allergic reactions, such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disease, and make them more susceptible to the colds and viruses. Try countering stressful situations with exercise, yoga, spending some time outside, relaxing in the quiet, meditating, or even deep breathing.
9. Get some sleep. Getting 6-8 hours of sleep each night is imperative to allow the body to rest and repair itself from the daily activities. Lack of sleep can activate the stress response, depress immune system function, and create inflammatory response in the body. So allow your body to repair and integrate itself each night!
10. Make friends. An active social life can help you stay healthy and live longer. The same counts for the furry friends because you are more likely to get outside and exercise. So stay social with your family and friends, make plans to get together, and get out and enjoy yourself and have fun staying healthy!
