It seems that the whole world is caught up in the midst of the flu epidemic as face masks and toilet paper become rarer than four-leaf clovers. If you’re looking for ways to stay healthy and prevent colds and flu your first step should be to optimise your immune system starting with the strategies below…
1. Get Enough Quality Sleep
Sleep is the most important pillar of health, if we don’t get enough quality sleep we can compromise our immune system. A recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that poorer sleep efficiency and shorter sleep duration in the weeks preceding exposure to a virus were associated with lower resistance to illness. We all know the feeling after a poor nights sleep where we literally can’t function. We recommend ensuring you cover the fundamentals of sleep before digging deeper:
- Ensure your bedroom is dark and cool
- Ditch the coffee/stimulants after midday
- Wear earplugs if you are a light sleeper
If you already practice the above and want to learn more, read our Ultimate Guide to Sleep.
2. Move Your Body ‘Everyday’
Regular movement is one of the keys to staying healthy but it can also help you bolster your immune system. It has been shown to accelerate the circulation of disease-fighting white blood cells which helps the body fight off colds and flu. You don’t have to get up at 5am to attend boot-camp each morning (reducing your sleep – see above) but you could work on adding more steps into your day. Simple strategies like:
- Wearing a pedometer and counting your steps
- Socialise on-the-go, instead of sitting down
- Stand up and move around every 45 mins at work
Discover the secret to exercising without it feeling like exercise here.
3. Eat More Green Vegetables
Yes it seems that your mother was right when she told you to eat your veggies. Simply put, they are rich in vitamins that help support a healthy immune system. According to a study of mice, eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower helps boost specific proteins necessary for a more efficient immune-system function. If you struggle eating vegetables try the tips below:
- Make veggie-based soups and consume multiple servings of vegetables at once
- Add vegetables to your smoothies (spinach and kale work wonders)
- Enjoy a veggie omelette – try this 2-Minute Veggie Scramble
Not into vegetables? Increase your intake of greens with a powder or capsule instead.
4. Ditch The Alcohol
Many of us love to relax with a drink at the end of the day, but new research shows that drinking alcohol can impact a vital component of the immune system. It outlined that an increase in alcohol consumption over time can increase a person’s exposure to bacterial and viral infections. If you are considering decreasing your alcohol consumption why not try:
- Abstaining from alcohol for at least 30 days (think Feb-Fast or Dry-July)
- Switch to lower alcohol alternatives
- Dilute your alcoholic drinks with water & ice
Alternatively if you want to go cold-turkey but want more motivation, read this article.
How many of these strategies are you currently using to boost your immune system? If we start to focus on the basics of sleep, regular movement, clean water and whole food nutrition (while crowing out the external toxins) we’ll ultimately be better equipped to manage any pathogens that head in our direction. If you have any questions or would like to add any points to the list above we’ve love to hear from you in the comments below 🙂