Your immune system plays a huge role in your entire body. It’s that line of defense you’ve got against diseases from the outside. Particularly now during this pandemic season, all the more that you’ve got to strive to prioritize and boost your immune system. It’s the only way that you can ward off getting sick.
While you may think that the complexity of the immune system is also tantamount to how difficult it would be to keep it healthy, you’re wrong. Boosting your immune system doesn’t have to be challenging.
There are plenty of things you can do to boost your immune system. Here are some of a few:
1. Maintain A Healthy Diet
You’re what you eat. This is very, very true. A healthy diet is one of the best secrets to have a strong immune system. If you consistently feed your body with junk, then it’s just but fitting for it to feel like junk as well.
A good healthy diet has the perfect balance of healthy fats, vegetables, protein, fruits, and whole grains. That way, you’re sure that you’re feeding your body the right amount of vitamins and minerals that it needs.
Most importantly, maintaining a healthy diet enables you to give your body the micronutrients that are necessary to boost the immune system. These include:
- Vitamin E, typically found in spinach, almonds, and peanut butter;
- Vitamin B6, can be found in potatoes, chicken, and green vegetables;
- Vitamin C, of which citrus fruits are a rich source.
Check out here to learn more about the necessary nutrition for keeping your immune system healthy and know what food and drinks can support you in this pursuit.
2. Quit Smoking
This tip applies to those of you who may have developed a dependency on smoking. Whether it’s light or chain-smoking, it’s best to quit it completely. Of course, this isn’t something that can be achieved overnight. You’ve just got to make that conscious effort to slowly reduce the number of sticks you smoke in a day.
If you aren’t reminded of it already, smoking has harmful effects for the body, revolving around the following:
- Heart disease because of high blood pressure and arteries clogged up with cholesterol;
- Poor quality of life, health-wise;
- Weakened aorta;
- Increased frailty for seniors;
- Premature death due to cardiovascular diseases.
3. Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly isn’t just about looking good. It’s also about feeling better about yourself, simply because you’re healthier. When you’re healthy, it follows suit that your immune system also stays strong.
When you exercise, the body’s circulation improves. This makes it easier for immune cells and infection-fighting molecules to travel easily throughout your body. In short, you’re able to stimulate your immune system and fix whatever lose screws may have started to develop.
4. Drink Plenty of Fluids
Along with eating well, you’ve also got to keep your body hydrated. The human body is made predominantly of fluids, so it’s just but fitting that it’ll also need a steady flow of fluid for it to function well.
Many of you may have heard the all-too-common advice by now to drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day. Don’t neglect this tip. Make water your beverage of choice, and make sure that you’ve kept yourself hydrated throughout the day.
If you haven’t developed this habit yet, a good way to start is by making it a habit to bring your own water bottle wherever you go. That way, you won’t have to spend on the water, and upon seeing your water bottle, you’re also reminded to consistently take a sip.
5. Get Plenty of Sleep
People are only human. This means that at the end of every day, it’s normal to feel weak and tired. There are many reasons why sleep is important. Certainly, the body needs to recharge for another day ahead. The only way to put this is to put the body in a state of rest: which is sleep.
No matter how busy your days may be, make time to have a good number of sleeping hours at night. There’s no use keeping yourself awake too late, and then waking up too early when your immune system starts to suffer. Stretching your body’s ability too much will only wreak havoc on your health.
Most importantly, certain cells develop or recharge only during sleep. These include infection-fighting molecules. Without these, you become more susceptible to catching even the common cold.
Conclusion
The idea of boosting your immunity is something that’s always attractive and enticing. When you strive to make all other areas of your health in good condition, your immune system shouldn’t fall far behind. Remember that the immune system isn’t an entity in itself. It’s connected with all other parts in your body, by which proper function is needed. For this year, there’s no better thing you can do for your health than to give your immune system the boost it needs, to survive the challenges brought forth by this pandemic era.