Four fundamentals of good health to boost your immune system
Especially right now we need to maintain a healthy immune system to reduce our chances of getting sick with the corona virus. There are many unsubstantiated claims flying around, some made by people seeking only a quick profit. But here are four fundamentals of good health to boost your immune system.
I’ve always believed, and experts agree, that a healthy lifestyle that incorporates the four fundamentals for good health is good for the immune system:
- Healthy diet
- Physical exercise
- Proper sleep
- Be aware of your thoughts
Let’s look in more detail at the four fundamentals of good health to boost your immune system:
1. Healthy diet
There is little evidence that supplements boost the immune system. Experts say that the best you can do is to eat well, meaning lots of colourful vegetables and fruits, which contain lots of vitamins and minerals, and drink lots of water.
Vitamin C boosts the immune system but you should get it mainly from dietary sources—which means the food you eat, not from pills. Eat lots of food rich in vitamin C like citrus fruits, berries, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and spinach.
There must be some synergy in all the components of an orange or red pepper that are better for us than laboratory-synthesized ascorbic acid sold as a vitamin C supplement.
Read more about a healthy diet that is also good for your brain in this article by Dr. Lisa Mosconi.
Eating healthy foods will also help you to avoid weight gain as we hunker down to slow the spread of COVID-19. I’m a big fan of the Mediterranean-style diet.
2. Physical activity
Exercise not only boosts your immune system but also improves your brain function and your emotional health.
We are being told to stay home to slow the spread of COVID-19, but don’t hold on to that as an excuse to not move. There are many ways you can still move or exercise.
Walk around your home or backyard, dance, do jumping jacks with your kids, or go up and down stairs. Take advantage of the many free exercise and yoga classes available online. I discovered this CBC offer and I do it every other day.
If it’s allowed, go outside. Fresh air and being in nature are also good for you. Call a friend and enjoy the company (but maintain your physical distance!).
3. Sleep
It’s no surprise that all today’s uncertainties—health, family, job, personal finances, a constant barrage of bad news from all around the globe, etc.—can disrupt your ability to sleep.
But proper sleep is essential for good health and a strong immune system. Now it’s more important than ever.
While we sleep our brain gets rid of toxins that we accumulated during our waking hours and it rejuvenates itself. Neurons (brain cells) grow and are repaired while we sleep; that’s also when we create and organize memories. Sleep also helps with decision-making, hence the saying “Sleep on it”! And we all have many important decisions to make these days regarding work, business, finances, health, family, friendships, etc. With proper sleep you’ll make better decisions with less stress.
Many women in perimenopause and menopause report difficulty sleeping. But before you head for the medicine cabinet ensure that you have good “sleep hygiene”, which is a variety of habits and practices that help in getting a good sleep. Learn more at the National Sleep Foundation.
4. Be aware of your thoughts
To calm yourself down, you must become aware of what’s going on in your mind, of your thoughts, and you should recognize that catastrophizing is useless. Your thoughts are not reality. The more you think the more you suffer.
As Eckart Tolle says “You can stop your thoughts by recognizing the futility and distractive nature of that type of thinking and begin to see that a lot of unhappiness are produced by the narratives of your mind”.
Tolle recommends that you re-direct your attention away from your thoughts to the energy of your body and breath; that will calm the activity of your mind.
Learn more at his website.
Teresa Isabel Dias is a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.
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