How to strengthen immunity healthily
Repeated colds, coughs, viruses, or even the flu can turn many people into a cold struggle with their own body. In order to improve the body's defenses, it is usually enough to follow the basic rules of a healthy lifestyle. Which are they?
1. Don't smoke
The negative health effects of smoking are well known, and the consequences for the respiratory tract, which are often affected by winter infections, are very easy to imagine. Just look at the packaging of the cigarette box with the appropriate illustration.
2. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
Especially if they are grown in their own garden, without fertilizers and pesticides or with only a minimal amount of them, fruits and vegetables are fantastic sources of substances important for the proper functioning of the body. Laboratory tests show that the immune response can be affected by a lack of certain nutrients, such as zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, vitamins A, B6, C, and E.
Although there is no 100% direct relationship between, for example, morbidity and the lack of zinc in the diet, it is not necessary to pay attention to the supply of all nutrients. On the contrary, what doctors from Harvard Medical School do not recommend are "horse doses" of specific substances or preparations from the pharmacy. For example, a recipe for big vitamin C doping when "something is climbing" on a person is not suitable.
3. Exercise regularly
Researchers do not measure exactly how sick athletes are compared to "couchers", but in general, adequate exercise is appropriate for the overall proper functioning of the body. For a healthy lifestyle, at least half an hour of exercise a day is recommended; it doesn't have to be a gym, a brisk walk from work will suffice. And if you don't have half an hour in total, divide it into ten-minute sections, for example.
4. Maintain optimal weight
Needless to say, extra pounds are a burden on the whole body. However, even if you are not in the optimum column in the BMI table, there is no reason to resign yourself to a healthy lifestyle in general. According to some studies, people can reduce some of the negative effects of being overweight if they are fit enough.
5. Drink alcohol appropriately
Although there are no warning images of the consequences of drinking on alcohol, everyone can imagine where alcoholism can lead. However, alcohol can be harmful in much more subtle amounts. In the intestines, where it is mainly absorbed into the body, for example, it disrupts the function of the local microflora. Changes in bowel function can then damage the functioning of the immune system in the liver - these are then more prone to infection. And so on.
6. Get enough sleep
Sleeping well is the basis not only for work performance but also for the functioning of the whole body, including its immunity. What to try first? Above all, it is necessary to pay attention to sleep hygiene: do not do things that disrupt sleep - do not eat just before going to bed, do not drink coffee in the evening, do not look at the computer screen or phone display just before bedtime, and so on.
7. Try to prevent infections
Remember the rules you have known since childhood: Wash your hands often. Do not borrow glasses or cutlery with other people. Avoid their handkerchiefs, napkins and the like.
Sneeze or cough in the sleeve on the elbow, not the palms. If we leave the topic of respiratory infections, there are another set of rules. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly while cooking. When preparing meat, pay attention to hand and dish hygiene as well as heat treatment. Disinfect your wounds.
8. Try to reduce stress
This part of strengthening immunity will be the most difficult for many people. There are many sources of stress these days. Immunity is mainly affected by stressors, which have a long-term effect: in the family, at work or in relationships with friends. The problem with stress is that it cannot be too "measured" or solved universally.
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