Healthy body, happy life: Here's how you can keep your immune system on top of its game.
I personally appreciate the cold season, yet sometimes, I can’t help but associate it with the season of colds, coughs, and chills.
During these times, almost everyone I know is complaining of either having a fever, a pounding head cold, or a flu… and with the incoming change of season, our immune systems will definitely work hard to balance our bodies’ internal systems and processes once again.
Let’s face it. No one likes to feel sluggish or depleted at the end of each day. You wouldn’t want that, would you?
However, if you don’t take care of your well-being and your immune system gets weak, you’ll feel not only sluggish but also unable to do your best at work.
What’s worse?
You’ll feel quite frustrated because you won’t be able to show up for the people you love and care about.
It’s no secret that having a healthy immune system is vital as it helps fight off illnesses and boosts your overall health. So, how can you ensure your immune system works at its optimal level?
It’s important to note that the answer to the question above is not simply to take vitamins and other food supplements. Boosting your immune system entails a whole lot of other things too, such as exercise, sleep, a nutritious diet, etc.
Allow me to share with you my top 5 tips to enhance my immunity. I hope by adopting these tips, you’ll also feel better and stronger, and have more energy to get your to-do list done.
- Get moving.
Exercise is fundamental to immunity-building because the human body is designed to move regularly each day.
So, even when it’s cold during this time of year and it feels good to sleep in especially during weekends, encourage yourself to get up and get moving!
Find ways to get your muscles to work. Whether that be a brisk walk with your dog or a fitness class like indoor cycling or yoga, your body will thank you for that.
- Check your gut.
Did you know poor gut health is a fundamental reason your immunity is off?
Having healthy gut bacteria helps your immune cells know the difference between healthy and unhealthy cells. If your gut health is not in good condition, it won’t be able to do its job.
So, if you want to maintain a healthy gut, you should eat gut-healthy foods or those rich in probiotics. These include yogurt, sauerkraut, leafy greens, and oats.
- Get your Zzz.
I cannot emphasize this enough. As you grow older, you have to get good, quality sleep.
I understand getting enough sleep is easier said than done for some of you. Take for example my son, who currently has 2 daughters under the age of 2, plus a new puppy. Since he loves spending time with his children and taking care of their new pet, sleep isn’t always on top of his priority list.
However, as a father myself, I always remind him to try as hard as he can to sleep enough. You should take that piece of advice too, whether you’re a parent, a student, or a busy professional!
I prefer you get a full 8 hours of sleep as this will allow your body to recuperate and be in a better state to fight off diseases. In fact, research has found that sleep strengthens your immune memory just as much as it helps your brain consolidate learning and memory recognition.
This means the interaction of your immune system during deep sleep reinforces it to remember how to recognize and fight off dangerous antigens.
- Check your stress levels.
Stress is one of the top reasons for low immunity, and it’s not surprising why. With countless tasks, pressure at work, or strain in relationships, you can sometimes feel overwhelmed and eventually get stressed out.
The problem with this is stress creates inflamed cells and slows your body’s response to foreign invaders, leaving you susceptible to various diseases. One of my favorite ways to combat this is by doing yoga or journaling.
However, if silence and stillness don’t work for you, you can try what my daughter does instead—having a midday dance party every day to boost her serotonin levels.
The key here is to do whatever makes you relax. Your immune system will thank you for doing that.
- Eat your “superfoods.”.
We’ve all heard the statement, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
… but did you know there’s more truth to this saying than you might think?
It’s true that you can actually eat your way to a healthier immune system! Some “superfoods” you should start incorporating into your diet include:
- Citrus fruits
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Green tea
- Turmeric
- Ginger
I personally like living in Austin, Texas, because it gives me access to multiple “juice lands” where I can add any of the items I listed above into a smoothie or juice shot.
I highly encourage you to get your smoothie game on too as the weather begins to warm up. It will help you not only prepare for summer but also boost your immunity.
There you have it—my top 5 tips to keep my immune system on top of its game despite seasonal transitions! I hope you’ll adopt at least one—if not all—of these tips into your everyday life to get your immunity back up to par.
Also, if you’ve successfully incorporated these into your schedule, let me know by leaving a comment or giving me other suggestions on how you’re working to strengthen your immune system. Let’s build our way to better immunity!
Stay tuned for more of my “Mindfulness by Miles” posts, and feel free to send me a message on what other topics you want to hear about.
Happy Friday, everyone!
For those of you who would like to talk to me about these topics, feel free to connect with me via my LinkedIn account.
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