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Here are four healthy habits that can boost your immune system:
Eat healthy
The fuel you put into your body plays a critical role in how well your immune system works. The key is prevention, so you have to make sure your body has what it needs to maintain a strong immune system. A nutrition pattern that’s rich in fruits and vegetables provides antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients that aid the immune system and help it fight infections.
Proper nutrition has dual benefits for our immune systems, both for what it does and for what it doesn’t do. First, it allows the body to function better to fight infection. Second, it doesn’t cause inflammation, which would further divert our immune systems’ defenses.
Exercise
Exercise has been shown to give the immune system a boost by maximizing the body’s ability to take in and efficiently use oxygen, among other things. Moderate exercise (where you can talk but not sing while exercising) is enough to increase the activity of virus-killing cells both in the short term and long term. This includes white blood cells and antibodies. Guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes daily, five times a week. But even 20 minutes daily can help quell inflammation and boost immunity, and exercise can be divided up during the day.
The best part about exercise is that it can be done at home, which, as we learned, is crucial when we’re in the middle of a pandemic shutdown. Leg lunges, situps, squats and stair climbing are all easy exercises you can do at home.
Manage stress and make connections
Calming activities and supportive relationships minimize stress, reduce cortisol production and enhance the immune system’s function.
Practicing mindfulness and stepping away from what’s causing anxiety can help us stay grounded. Exercises that have calming or meditative qualities, such as qi gong and yoga, also are beneficial and can easily be done at home. Video calls can help us stay connected to loved ones and reduce the stress of not being able to get together in person.
Get enough sleep
Getting adequate sleep can help support the way your immune system functions by increasing the number of immune cells circulating in your body.
Not getting enough sleep appears to be a trigger of low-grade inflammation and related diseases. Studies in humans on the relationship between sleep and infection link shorter sleep duration with increased risk of pneumonia and respiratory infections. The amount of sleep the immune system needs to function properly is very individual.
Every little step we take toward a healthier lifestyle will help us live our lives to their fullest and longest.
Yours in good health,