The immune system seems to be a complicated thing doesn’t it? We all want more immunity and to be sick less often or not at all, am I right? Some people just seem to have more immunity than others do. They rarely get sick even when everyone else around them has caught something. The question is, is this some natural ability or are there things that we can do to actually increase our immunity and stay well more easily?
While there could be underlying factors that affect immunity, that doesn’t mean that we are helpless when it comes to protecting ourselves from illness. There are some things that we can do to boost our immunity and are well worth the effort.
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But, don’t forget to keep reading to find out how to stay well and living your best life.
Ways to Boost Your Immunity
Sleep
Getting enough quality sleep means that your body is able to go through all the cycles of sleep 4-6 times each night. There are 5 stages of sleep in each cycle. Each cycle lasts about 90 minutes. Each stage gets progressively deeper in the first 4 stages.
It’s important for you to experience all the cycles 4-6 times throughout the night to feel rested and and boost your immune system. Your body heals and renews itself during the deep sleep stages. This is when your body clears the toxins from your system. The less toxins you already have floating around the more your immune system can focus on other viruses and bacteria that it might get exposed to.
Basically, the less work there is for your body to do, the more effective it is. So, make sure you make sleep a priority. It really does make life a whole lot better when you don’t feel tired all of the time and staying well gives you more opportunity to do the things you want and need to do.
Yes, I know that you think sleeping less gives you more time to get everything done, but the truth is that we do everything better if we’re well rested and not sick.
Need some ideas on how to improve your sleep, here’s my list of helpful tips.
Nutrition
The things we put in our body definitely impact the way we feel and how well our body functions, including it’s ability to fight off illness. When we eat, it should be in a way that nourishes our bodies. When you give your body the nutrients that it needs to function properly everything works more efficiently and effectively, including your immune system.
We can’t expect to put junk in and get great results, right? We can’t put bad gas in our cars and expect it to run smoothly. If you’re always eating things that you’re sensitive to or that’s feeding the bad bacteria in your gut, then you are also feeding illness and disease. For example, added sugar feeds bad bacteria. This can lead to chronic inflammation which leads to a weakened immune system.
Once again, if our body is busy fighting off the damage that we’re doing to it every day, it’s going to be less effective at fighting off other things we’re exposed to.
So, eat things that give you the vitamins and minerals that keep your body running well. Eat fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains every day, not just every once in a while. And don’t forget to get a variety of fruits and veggies. Different colors provide different nutrients, so you need to eat all the colors to have the greatest benefit.
Hydration
Our bodies are made up of mostly water, between 55-60%, so of course we need water for it to function properly. Which includes fighting off illness. Drinking water helps flush out the toxins that are creating illness throughout our systems.
Just like it’s important to get the proper nutrients from the foods we eat, it’s important to get enough water so your body is able to carry those nutrients throughout your system and keep you healthy.
Drinking water is fairly cheap or free and doesn’t take much effort, so make sure you’re consistently getting enough. That means, at least 64 ozs., but if you want a more accurate calculation, take your body weight and divide it in half. That’s how many ounces of water you should have daily. Of course, if you find yourself sweating heavily of drinking caffeine or alcohol you’ll need to increase that amount.
It’s really important to get plenty of water when you’re dealing with an illness too, since it helps flush out the toxins. So, keep that water coming!
Exercise
Exercise doesn’t just give you more energy and help you maintain a healthy body weight. It can actually help you stay well too. Studies have shown that mild to moderate exercise, especially weight lifting can boost your immunity. Although, it has also been shown that frequent strenuous exercise can actually cause too much stress on the body and inhibit immunity.
Working out increases blood and lymph flow, which helps circulate immune cells throughout the body. Greater circulation of the immune cells means that they’re more likely to discover things that can harm you and fight them off.
Working out also creates a rise in body temperature, which helps to fight bacteria in the body. And we already know that bacteria can be a source of illness.
It’s clear that exercise can boost your immunity on it’s own, but it also plays a role in other healthy habits that further your immunity. Exercising leads to better quality sleep, less stress and and overall better health.
I recommend sticking with light exercise when/if you are feeling under the weather though.
Selfcare
We all know that too much stress can lead to several health related problems, so it’s no wonder that doing things to prevent or reduce stress can help boost your immune system, right?
Selfcare means doing things that you enjoy and that reduce your stress level. What that may be specifically, will depend on the person. For some that might mean a lunch out with friends. For others, that might mean some alone time, maybe reading a book or reflecting on their lives. The key is to find out what works for you.
Carving out time for you might even save you down time later. We can’t do it all when we’re sick very well, can we? And our families will like being around us a lot more if we are less stressed, patient, and relaxed. Selfcare for us is a bonus for everyone around us.
I know you’re busy and hardly feel like you have time for the things that are already on your plate, but it’s important that you make the effort. Even if it’s just 5 minutes of closing your eyes and taking some deep breathes.
So, stop feeling guilty or putting yourself last. Consider it an investment in the lives of your family. You’re worth it and so are they!
Make A Plan To Boost Your Immune System
I’m not saying that doing all the things above will be effortless, but they’re really not that complicated either. Hopefully, you’re already doing some or most of them. If you’re not, try to start doing the ones that you’ve neglected and if you do them consistently they will become pretty effortless habits. After all, consistently leads to the formation of habits and habit are things we don’t have to put too much thought or effort into.
If trying to make a plan and turn them into habits just seems too overwhelming, book a call with me and we can chat about how to make it doable. Just click below!
