Yesterday our post talked about 12 ways you can take better care of yourself. Guys – literally all you have to do is take care of yourself. There is no magic pill and this certainly isn’t a mystery. Doing things that make your body feel great are steps that lead to success.
It is flu season, the time of year when EVERYONE gets sick, even your gerbil isn’t feeling like running on his little wheel that is certainly your favorite noise to wake up to in the middle of the night – NOT.
The germs are floating around in the air and there isn’t a whole lot you can do to completely avoid them, but there is something you can do for your body. There are actually lots of things and it is what I mentioned before – take care of yourself. The kicker is, you should be taking care of yourself year round.
Photo Credit: www.keepinghealthymadesimple.com
A lot of people think they need to be extra careful and only think about taking care of themselves in the thick of it all (which is right now). Well, that is definitely the wrong way to handle this time of year. Your immune system just doesn’t start firing on all cylinders overnight. It needs to be functioning like it is playing in game seven of the world series all year round.
From WebMD – “The immune system is your body’s natural defense system. It’s an intricate network of cells, tissues, and organs that band together to defend your body against invaders. Those invaders can include bacteria, viruses, parasites, even a fungus, all with the potential to make us sick. They are everywhere – in our homes, offices, and backyards.”
And guess what? It is easy to keep your immune system top notch, by taking care of your body all year round. According to Harvard Health Publications, your first line of defense is sticking to a healthy lifestyle. I am glad they agree – ha.
Photo Credit: German Blondy
Keep Active
If you are feeling sluggish than your immune system easily follows suit. Even if it is a rest day from your workouts, then go for a walk. Experts are exactly sure what makes people who are active less likely to get sick, but something they do know is that they have better functioning white blood cells. White blood cells are the ones that help fight off infections.
Eat Well
Eat well and whole greens – EVERYDAY. A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins can boost resistance to infection.
Don’t Smoke
I hope this is a given by now!
Maintain a Healthy Weight
To figure this out, you can always calculate your BMI, but I am not a fan of just going by BMI as so many other factors involved. Speak to a profession and come up with a plan as to what is a healthy weight for you and your body!
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is literally one of the best things you can do for your health. Sleep is when your body repairs itself. If you don’t give your body the times it needs to repair itself then your body will always be in fight or flight mode – not allowing your body to fight off what is important.
