Building Immunity Through Food And Exercise

If you are healthy, thank your immune system. It resists attacks from disease-causing germs. Keeping the immune system in the pink of health is important for all but difficult for few. Those who struggle to keep it right either lead a sedentary lifestyle or eat irresponsibly, or both.

Here’re a few proven tips on building immunity through food and exercise.

• Food:

Certain foods aid your immunity in certain different ways. These include:

• Probiotics:

Probiotics are the best foods to build immunity, as scientific studies continue to uncover. These foods contain strains of live bacteria that are essential for some key biochemical processes in the digestive system. A healthy gut means a healthy immune system, as 70% of our immune cells lie here. Probiotics can also help prevent mental disorders, allergies, and weight issues.

• Vitamins:

Vitamin C and Vitamin E are proven immune boosters. They release antioxidant that combats free radicals. The free radicals are detrimental to your immune system. Your Vitamin C food options include citrus fruits like orange and lemon, along with broccoli and strawberries. On the other hand, almonds, nuts, vegetable oils and peanut butter are rich sources of Vitamin E.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

Walnuts, flaxseeds, Canola Oil, and oily fish, such as tuna and salmon are good foods to build immunity. Why? Well, they are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids aid the overall immunity, keep inflammation at bay and fight Crohn’s disease and other immune system disorders. Omega-3 fatty acids are also linked to symptom relief in rheumatoid arthritis.

• Spices:

Certain spices not only spice up your food but can prevent you from falling sick as well. Take, for instance, ginger that brings down inflammation, and in turn, wards off inflammatory illnesses like sore throat. Likewise, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties, and hence, useful in treating rheumatoid arthritis as well as osteoarthritis.

• Exercise:

Besides foods to build immunity, exercise can lead to better immunity. How? There are many theories to it.

• Regular exercise helps expel disease-causing bacteria from lungs and airways, preventing flu, common cold and other such issues.
• Physical excursion boosts the function of White Blood Cells (WBCs). The WBCs circulate better throughout the body and identifies disease causing micro-organisms earlier.
• Stress hormones are linked to chronic illnesses. Regular exercise restricts their release.
• Post-exercise, your body temperature spikes, thus, preventing bacterial growth.

However, rigorous workouts may backfire. Studies have shown that intense, prolonged workouts increase Norepinephrine and Cortisol production in the body. These are stress hormones that might repress the immunity by bringing down the WBC levels significantly.

If you have no specific health issues to deal with, you are better off exercising for not more than 30 minutes daily. The exercises should be moderate something like a brisk walk, stretching, biking and swimming. Certain yogic exercises notably Pranayama can help you rev up your immunity. A game of golf once weekly is also advisable. Feel free to use smartphone apps to stay current on your overall workout time and progress.