Tag Archive for: immunity

6 Essential Habits that Build your Immunity

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Flu season is upon us – and it’s that time of year where a healthy immune system is more important than ever. Whether it’s more shopping or extra Holiday gatherings, you’re bound to be around more people than usual, which is a recipe for spreading and catching germs.

Here are 6 essential habits that will help build your immunity:

1. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your health all of the time, but it’s especially important when you’re trying to fight disease. Water helps flush everything out, and your cells (especially those that fight germs) work better when fully hydrated. But water isn’t the only thing that helps you stay hydrated. Broth, tea, or anything without a lot of sugar counts. Personally, when I’m not feeling well, I love making myself a big thermos of hot water with lemon and tea. Not only is it soothing but it’s packed with vitamin C. So how much water should you drink? The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that men should aim for about 15.5 cups per day, while women should aim for 11.5 cups. Now keep in mind, how much you exercise and sweat each day will vary these numbers, but as a general rule, keep your favorite water bottle by your side at all times and make staying hydrated easy.

2. Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly is well-known for improving cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure, keeping muscles and bones strong, and helping control your body weight. But did you know that regular exercise also helps you boost your immune system? There are a certain amount of immune cells naturally circulating through your body at all times. But when you exercise, and increase your blood flow, you help push more immune cells from your lymph nodes and spleen into your bloodstream. Now if you’re already sick or feeling low energy, it’s important to listen to your body and modify where you need to. You don’t want to risk getting an injury for the sake of your immune system. There has to be a balance. But going for an easy walk – even when you’re sick – can help. And when you’re not sick – get moving – it’s going to help build a healthy immune system not to mention a healthy musculoskeletal system.

3. Get some Sleep

Good, quality sleep is essential for your health, and it helps keep your immune system functioning well. When we sleep, our bodies produce special proteins designed to target infection and inflammation, and T-cells (white blood cells) that play a critical role in fighting infectious diseases. So what happens when we don’t sleep? Lack of sleep has been proven to increase the risk of illness. Sleep researchers at several universities tested this theory by exposing 164 volunteers to the cold virus through nasal drops while monitoring their sleep and evaluating their health habits. The participants who slept less than five hours were four-and-a-half times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept for seven hours a night. So prioritizing sleep is crucial all of the time – but especially when you’re fighting off a cold or illness.

4. Eat Well

Eating a healthy, whole-food and varied diet is one of the best ways to boost your immune system. Incorporating vibrant fruits and vegetables bursting with vitamins and antioxidants, such as citrus fruits, bell peppers, spinach, and berries, will bolster your body’s ability to fight off infections. Lean proteins like poultry and fish, along with probiotic-rich foods such as yogurt and kimchi, support a healthy gut, which happens to be where a significant portion of your immune system resides. And don’t forget about whole grains and healthy fats – like those found in nuts and olive oil. They help strengthen your immune system also. Eating well is good for you all the time – but especially when you’re sick and trying to fight off germs and infection.

5. Be Social

Having positive interactions with people and meaningful relationships is not only linked to improved immunity, but it also happens to top the list of things that help us to live longer. Now, if you’re already sick, then you may want to stay away from your friends and loved ones physically. That doesn’t mean you can’t pick up the phone or hop on Zoom. But when you’re feeling good and healthy – prioritize these relationships and connections. Make time for group activities, or walks with a friend. Being social and interacting with others contributes positively to your emotional well-being – and turns out – will help keep you from getting sick as well.

6. Get Outside

Getting a regular dose of fresh air not only reduces stress, but it gives you vitamin D. You can get vitamin D from food and supplements – but the best place to get it is from the sun. The effectiveness of vitamin D on fighting colds and flus is still unclear and being studied, but vitamin D is believed to help facilitate a healthy and normal immune system. But regardless of the research, getting outside feels good and gets you away from all that circulated air indoors. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we get more colds in the winter, so when you can, bundle up and get outside. Your immune system will actually thank you.

Having a strong immune system keeps us healthy. And when we’re healthy, we can take that opportunity to work on and optimize other aspects of our health – such as strength, mobility, and cardiovascular health – that keep us feeling good and reduce our risk of injury. Getting sick puts a stop to life’s momentum, and can prevent you from getting into a routine altogether if you’re getting sick often. So don’t take your health for granted. If you haven’t already, start incorporating one or more of these habits into your life today.

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth and writes for Seacoast Media Group. To get in touch, email her at [email protected].

6 Healthy Habits to Build your Immunity

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Want to build your immunity? Here are 6 healthy habits…

It’s that time of year where a healthy immune system is more important than ever. Flu season is upon us and we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. As you gather around more family and friends with the upcoming Holidays, it’s important to do everything you can to keep your body’s natural germ-fighting system in tip top shape.

But first – how does your immune system work? When germs invade our bodies, they attack and multiply. This invasion is called an infection and it’s what causes us to be ill. White blood cells (also known as “immunity cells”) are carried by our blood and have specific functions designed to fight disease. Macrophages swallow up and digest germs. They leave parts of the invading germ behind, called antigens, which your body uses later to identify the germ if it tries to invade again – and stimulates antibodies to attack it. B-lymphocytes are the white blood cells that produce those antibodies. And T-lymphocytes are the ones who attack cells in your body that have already been infected. 

This system is designed to work naturally and on autopilot – but there are things you can do to help it run more smoothly. Here are 6 healthy habits you can incorporate into your lifestyle that will help you build a strong immune system.

1. Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your health in general, but it’s especially important when you’re trying to fight disease. Water helps flush everything out, and your cells work better when fully hydrated – including those that work for your immune system. Water isn’t the only thing that helps you stay hydrated. Broth, tea, or anything without a lot of sugar counts. Remembering to stay hydrated is especially important if you’re over 65, since the aging population tends to consume less liquid during the day.

2. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise improves cardiovascular health, lowers blood pressure, helps control your body weight, and it boosts your immune system. Exercise keeps your blood flowing, allowing pathogens to be filtered out more efficiently. Plus, did you know sweat can kill pathogens on the surface of your skin? Regular exercise and activity also makes it less likely that you’ll get injured. A debilitating injury is a sure sentence for inactivity which will ultimately have an impact on your overall health and immune system.

3. Get Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation has been proven to increase the risk of illness. Sleep researchers at the University of California – San Francisco, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center tested this theory by exposing 164 volunteers to the cold virus through nasal drops while monitoring their sleep and evaluating their health habits. The participants who slept less than five hours were four-and-a-half times more likely to catch a cold than those who slept for seven hours a night. So make sure you turn off those devices at least an hour before you head to bed and aim for seven hours of z’s per night.

4. Eat Well

Eating a healthy, plant-based and varied diet is one of the best ways to boost your immune system. Avoid processed foods and opt for lots of fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors. Purple cabbage, for example, has one of the highest amounts of antioxidants. There is some evidence that when you’re deficient in micronutrients such as zinc, selenium, iron, copper, folic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C and E – that your immune system’s response will be altered. The best way to get all of these is through food – so choose a healthy diet to keep your immune system functioning at its best.

5. Cuddle with your Pets

OK – I read this and thought – I must include this in my article. A study at Washington State University found that simply cuddling with your dog or cat for 10 minutes had a significant impact on reducing cortisol levels. In other words, cuddling with your pet helps to minimize stress. Scientists have long suspected a link between increased emotional stress and decreased immune function. But quantifying this is challenging because stress is so subjective. Try to include daily habits of gratitude, meditation, and deep breathing. Any of these habits will help to reduce your stress and make it easier for your immune system to do its job.

6. Get Outside

Getting a regular dose of fresh air not only reduces my stress, but it gives me vitamin D. The effectiveness of vitamin D on fighting colds and flus is still unclear and being studied, but vitamin D is believed to help facilitate normal immune system function. But regardless of the research, getting outside definitely gets you away from all that circulated air, which has to be beneficial. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we get more colds in the winter, so when you can, bundle up and get outside. Your immune system won’t object.

If you can add even one of these healthy habits into your life you’ll be doing your immune system a favor.

Good health is arguably our most important asset in life. Don’t take it for granted and do whatever you can to preserve and optimize it.

If an injury or any kind of chronic ache or pain is keeping you from living the healthy lifestyle you truly want… don’t wait around for it to magically go away.

Request a FREE Discovery Session with one of my specialists. They’ll let you know if we can help and if you’re a good fit for what we do.

Dr. Carrie Jose, Physical Therapist and Pilates expert, owns CJ Physical Therapy & Pilates in Portsmouth, NH – where we help people aged 40+ be more active, healthy, and mobile – WITHOUT things like pills, procedures or surgery. Visit our free resources section for more healthy tips and advice for back, knee, neck, and shoulder pain.