Simple Ways to to Improve Your Health

When we talk about the immune system the immediate thought is to think of food and drinks that we can have to boost our immunity.

I’m sure there’s a lot of information on the different vegetables, drinks you can have and vitamins you should be having to strengthen your immune system. All very good information as the key to having a good immune system comes mainly from how good a diet you maintain. Having said that it is also vital to balance other factors as well to ensure the best practices are done to maintain your immune system.

The saying everything in moderation in my opinion is key to being healthy.

Let’s start with your diet which we all know is the most important one to address first. A healthy diet is made up of vegetables, right amounts of protein and carbohydrates as well as the right supplements to make up for the vitamins we may be missing out on.

A good diet should consist of the following as much as possible:

1. Fruits – Watermelon, Acai berry, Pomegranate, Strawberry, Mango and Papaya
2. Vegetables – Sweet Potato, Spinach, Carrots, Mushrooms, Broccoli, Ginger, Garlic and Bell Peppers
3. Vitamins & minerals – Vitamin A, C, B, D, E as well as iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium (Try your best to include these in your diet or ensure they’re present in your multivitamin or as supplements you take. You can otherwise refer to my article on the daily essential vitamins)
4. Water – try hard to have at least 2.5litres of water a day, it is vital to help you absorb all the nutrient you are trying to get and flush out toxins. If you find it hard to remember to drink water, download the water app which will give you reminders to drink water. If not, you could try with small bottles. I only keep cartons of small 500ml bottles at home. Its easy to carry around even when you are out and try to target finishing smaller bottles to make it easier for yourself. Plus, if its with you and in front of you all the time, you will find yourself reaching out for it.

Good quality sleep:

We all take this one for granted, I for one am really guilty when it comes to this as I really am a night owl. But what I’ve realized over time is its not the number of hours of sleep we get that’s important but the quality of sleep. This can be easily monitored with a fitness band. It took me awhile and a few weeks where I slept when I wanted but after a few weeks when I looked at the data, I realized there were particular hours where I was getting deep sleep. If you are able to identify the timings of when you get deep sleep, you can work a healthy sleep cycle around this. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body is unable to heal and regenerate to keep your immunity up. So even if you are on the healthiest diet, without sufficient good quality sleep, you make it hard for your body to keep a strong immune system.

Exercise:

This is another one that we all know but sometimes our laziness can get the better of us. 30 minutes of walking should do the trick. If you are someone that has a tough time getting into the mood to exercise or finding the time to exercise, try simple things to start with. For instance, try doing simple stretches for 20 mins a day, or take your dog out for a walk, try simple yoga poses. At least some blood circulation is vital to help our body stay strong. I would strongly recommend if you can’t get yourself to do any of this, to start of with get yourself a foam roller. All you have to do is have different body parts roll over it, yes, it is as easy as it sounds. It usually used as a warmup or cooldown part of a workout, but it is also great for blood circulation, muscle soreness and inflammation.

Stress:

This is a huge factor we all have to deal with every day. Each of us have our own ways to address stress but it is essential that we do as staying stressed for long periods of time can cause us to fall sick. Find 30 minutes in a day to do something that helps you destress, that helps you switch off from work or family or whatever it is that stresses you out. I find music often helps to calm down and destress, this is one that has worked for me for a long time. You may not be able to get rid of stress completely as some things just don’t go away, but what you should try to do is manage it better. So, if listening to music isn’t for you, then maybe reading a book or watching a show or cooking or maybe yoga or you could even try using apps that help you meditate or stay calm. A good app I recommend is Calm. You can download it on your phone and just have it play in the background, it has various different features and modes that helps you keep in the moment and stay calm. Try it out!

Laugh:

Believe it or not laughing is good for you. It is known to reduce stress levels and increase your white blood cells. Surround yourself with positive people, those that lift you up and make you laugh. A positive environment itself will make you feel good. My go to after whatever kind of day has always been the TV show Friends. 10 seasons that will definitely make you laugh.

Everyone says that your diet is the most important factor to boost your immunity, but truth be told it is a combination of many factors especially in today's world. We deal with a lot of stress, crazy eating and sleeping habits. As far as I can see, being in a positive environment and doing things that make you feel good, along with a good diet is what keeps you healthy and motivates you to do the things to keep your immunity up!

Thank you for your time and reading.