If you don’t want to come down with the cold and flu at the most inconvenient time, it’s advisable to run over your hygienic habits to see whether you keep your immune system in perfect working order. Washing hands carefully and keeping away from the sick may be not enough to protect you. Are there any other precautions you can take? Yes, some of them are listed here.
Consider the air
The very air around may be polluted, and you may be doing harm to your immune system with every breath you take. Scientists say that dirty air affects T cells thus impairing your immunity and (possibly) causing inflammations.
Solution: You can hardly do anything to the air outside, but get an air purifier for your home to ensure a clearer air.
Do you move enough?
If your work involves sitting most of the day, too little movement can slow down your metabolism quite significantly. What’s more, the absorption of nutrients will also slow down.
Solution: Arrange your working day so that you can get up and walk out every hour and a half. Even these short walks will provide good activation for your muscles and improve the metabolic rate. Use any excuse to move around.
Take a close look at your beauty products
All the stuff you apply on your face – foundation, lipstick, eyeshades, anything – goes straight into your skin. Some of them have artificial ingredients that can be harmful (sodium lauryl, for example). It is not always that your body is able to break them up, so your cosmetics may lower your defenses.
Solution: Try to get your beauty products as natural as possible. In terms of saving your immune system, it’s better to purchase products with a small number of ingredients. Consult an expert if you believe that your cosmetics undermine your health.
How much junk food do you eat?
No matter how mouthwatering these donuts look and smell, some of these baked goodies are made from white flour which can worsen the functioning of the body’s T and B cells. So, by giving in, you can diminish your illness resilience.
Solution: Opt for Gluten-free foods. If you want your grains, try and get whole-grain foods which are good for your immune abilities due to fiber content.
Don’t neglect sleep
Apart from the fact that you need (and enjoy!) a good night’s sleep, while you’re resting, your body is busy providing melatonin so that you can have plenty of white blood cells. It makes your immune system stronger and better equipped to look after your health.
Solution: Mind you get not less than seven hours of sound sleep. Think how nice it is to avoid falling ill just by having sweet dreams.
Are your meals loaded with excess protein?
According to dietitians, animal protein, when taken in large quantities, leads to overproduction of the IGF1 hormone. It is fraught with faster aging and slower functioning of the immune system.
Solution: Do some calculations: animal protein (contained in dairy products and meat) should come to only about 10% of your daily amount of calories. If you are sure animal protein is not good for your immunity, you can bring its consumption down to about 5%.
Do you spend much time alone?
Psychologists say that a lonely person can be more vulnerable to illnesses because their lifestyle affects their immune system.
Solution: Arrange going out with your colleagues or friends, find out about entertainment events in your area and attend them. Enjoy being in public and build up your immunity.
Rethink how you take stress
Do you take pride in not bending under pressure easily? That can be wonderful, but if you experience stress on a regular basis you must realize that it boosts cortisol levels, thus bringing down testosterone and estrogen levels. With this sort of misbalance in hormone levels, the immune system gets slack.
Solution: Learn and use relaxation tricks, take pauses to shed stress and feel buoyed up – you don’t want stress to put you down and confine you to bed and doctors.
See what kind of fats you have in your diet
You know that there are fats and fats, and some of them – namely those that are in nuts, fish and avocadoes – are very good for your immune system and exercise anti-inflammatory influence.
Solution: Cut down on animal meats and processed foods that are laden with the wrong kind of fats. What you need is omega-3 and omega-6 fats, so get busy on sardines, salmon, kale and almonds that will strengthen your immune abilities.
Include yoga in your workout program
One of the most ancient practices, yoga seems to work wonders to the immune system and illness resilience. It offers large-scale stimulation, doing good to the nervous, digestive, circulatory, and endocrine systems and ensuring total boost.
Solution: Get advice on how to master the asanas and bring your body into perfect balance by striking these postures which calm and stimulate at the same time.
