How to take care of your immune system

With vaccine rollout and more sunny days, we’re getting uplifted. Good mood and emotional well-being are major components when it comes to our immune system. But don’t forget that it’s still a good idea to take care of yourself. Even if you’re fit and vaccinated.

The vaccine will only do so much work. Taking care of your immune system is the responsibility of each one of us. And if community thinking doesn’t ring your bell, you can be sure that you’re the one in particular who benefits from strong immune system. But how do you get there?

No stress

It’s just like that tacky 2000’s song. No stress. Because stress will do you no good. Even though fight and flight response is essential function of our nervous system, in today’s world it’s often working against us.

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Don’t get us wrong. It’s perfectly natural to be stressed out. Especially during unprecedented times like these. But with healthy coping mechanisms, you can go a long way. Meditation, breathing exercises, visiting your local woods, or petting animals, can do wonders. Even more so if you’re being mindful about the things you’re doing.

If Playstation and Netflix are your go-to stress relievers, go ahead and enjoy them. Just don’t overdo it.

Exercise

At this point, you must have heard this one too many times. The thing is, it works. You can’t lay around all day and expect your body to effectively fight against bacteria and viruses. Experts recommend having at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. This translates to half-hour of exercise for 5 days. Anyone can do that.

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Aerobics exercises are the best when it comes to your cardiovascular health. You can do no wrong with yoga, moderate weightlifting, or whatever works for you. The most important thing is to have fun and don’t take exercise as a chore.

Quit bad habits

No matter how much you exercise if you clog your lungs with smoking, you will never feel your best. Same goes for alcohol, drugs, and junk food. Note that harmful thinking patterns are also considered bad habits and can increase your levels of stress hormones.

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If you’re overweight, you should also aim to maintain healthy body weight. Your BMI should be somewhere around 25 and lower. If you exercise regularly and have a healthy diet your weight should be in optimal state in no time.

Don’t forget about nutrition.

Above everything else, your diet should be balanced. This means that weather your vegan or have passion for bloody stakes, your plate should be full of carbohydrates, protein and (the good) fat. Overall for every meal you should even out your dish with vegetables and fruit.

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Also don’t forget about superfoods which are very high in vitamins and nutrients. This is for example avocado, ginger, quinoa, wheatgrass or cacao nibs (don’t confuse it with your favorite chocolate).

 Supplements

And if you’re still feeling a bit shaky about your health you can always boost the immune system with supplements. However, don’t forget to consult your doctor or pharmacist.

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Among most popular vitamins for overall health are:

  • VITAMIN A
  • VITAMIN C
  • VITAMIN D
  • Zinc
  • B COMPLEX
  • PROBIOTICS

If you are searching for anti-inflammatory foods, be sure to include honey and garlic to your menu.