When you’re sick, you can’t do the things you love doing. This happens often due to a lower level of strength with your immune system. The immune system is what your body has in place as a natural defense mechanism to all sorts of bugs, bacteria, and viruses. When it’s not in top condition, things tend to slip by and well, you end up sick.
We can use nutrition, exercise, and an improved lifestyle to actually strengthen this immune system we have. We’re going to tell you how in this article!
Boosting the Immune System with Nutrition
What we eat, plays a huge roll in the effectiveness of our immune system. The nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that we consume are what essentially allows it to work well in the first place. So, what can you do to make sure you’re providing your body with the right stuff?
First, pay attention to vitamin C. This is the holy grail for your immune system. It supports multiple cell functions that play a role in fighting off disease. It’s also an antioxidant, meaning that it fights off free radicals in the body which can lead to forms of disease such as cancer. Most of the best sources of vitamin C are bright fruits. Things like oranges, mango, and pineapple all have high amounts of this vitamin.
From here, we want to make sure we’re consuming zinc. This is a mineral that will work towards boosting the immune system, healing wounds, and reducing the time you are sick. This can be supplemented in your diet or found in many animal products!
The next stop is vitamin D. This is like a hormone due to the many functions it controls. However, one of the most important functions it controls is our immune system. Vitamin D is often gotten from direct sunlight; however, this can sometimes not be enough. Many of us miss out of sun exposure, so we need to include in the diet and as a supplement. You can find it products like mushrooms, milk, eggs, cheeses, and organ meats. It’s recommended that most individuals use a vitamin D supplement as well, especially if you live somewhere with lower amounts of sunlight.
These are good places to start with nutrition. All of these will go a long way in boosting your immune function and keeping you healthy! You can also take advantage of dietary supplements that contain a full assortment of immune boosting nutrients, as this will be a great way of ensuring you hit all the bases you need.
Boosting the Immune System with Exercise
Being physically active is super important for your immune health. When we’re physically active, the body is moving things around and flushing out what could be harmful. The blood is flowing more, the air is moving, and it keeps things from getting stagnant. This could be something as simple as a daily walk or as intense as functional fitness, but what matters most is that it’s being done.
Exercise will make multiple changes to the ecosystem of the body in a way that the immune system is stronger.
Immune System and Lifestyle
You’d be surprised at how much your lifestyle can affect your immune health! Now, what do we mean by lifestyle? This just comes down to the daily choices you make and the environment that you live in.
For instance, your mental health plays a role in immune function. When we’re overly stressed or sad, the immune system dampens. Thus, if we surround ourselves with negativity or don’t work on our own well-being, we may end up with a weaker immune system.
It can also mean the things you partake in. If you’re someone who drinks heavily or smokes, you may also dampen your immune system function.
Choosing to stay indoors and not get sun exposure when it’s there is also a lifestyle choice, which in the end leads to a lower immune function.
You need to carry out a life that takes these things into account, and at the end of the day you just need to take care of yourself. If your lifestyle doesn’t reflect this, then the chances that your immune system will be strong are likely to be low.
Being healthy and able to fight off sickness is important for your well-being. It’s going to allow you to do the things you love without stopping. You’ll be able to help your loved ones, do your favorite hobbies, and have a little fun. However, this can be a little challenging if you’re constantly fighting with sickness.
Take the opportunity to work on the things we just mentioned in this article. Use nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle to your advantage.
