How to Avoid Being Sick This Cold and Flu Season
No one likes being sick, so let’s avoid the whole thing! Whether or not you get that cold, that is going around the office really depends on how strong your immunity is. The more stressed out, sleep deprived or malnourished you are will affect your immunity and your chances of getting sick.
Washing your hands is, and we all know it, one of the best ways of preventing illness. Our skin and mucous membranes are the first line of defence against bacterial or viral infections. Killing the bacterial infection before they get into our body is ideal! Listen to your Mom and just wash your hands!!
If you are totally stressed, on next to no sleep and running from pillar to post. Your body will definitely not have the extra resources to combat an infection. Ensuring your stresses are managed, you are getting enough sleep and much needed down time now, will help your body cope with that nasty infection going around the office. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, not getting enough rest your body will, become infected and MAKE you get rest in the form of a cold or worse the flu.
Too much sugar, alcohol included, is not good for your entire body especially our immunity. In fact, sugar suppresses it hours after ingested. So that chocolate bar or sugary latte your drank at lunch will suppress your immunity until after your dinner. Is it really worth risking getting sick??
We should all be avoiding the unhealthy fats, the saturated and the hydrogenated fats because they are just really bad for us (that is another blog all together). Unhealthy fats, in terms of our immunity, will increase the free radicle formation and place stress on our immunity. Instead, we need to eat those healthy essential fatty acids like cold pressed olive oils and avocados because they will help maintain cell membranes (our first line of defence) and anti-inflammatory response.
Skipping that workout will definitely affect not just your cardiovascular and muscular systems but also your immunity. The lymphatic system that is responsible for clearing and disposing of foreign cells and proteins doesn't have its own pump. Instead, it uses the muscles to help pump the lymph out and into the blood system. Without movement, like exercise, the lymph can’t get out, resulting in stagnation and an increased risk of infections. Plus, exercise is very effective at stress management! Go to the gym, get that walk in go do some yoga. It doesn’t matter just move your body!!
Vitamin A, C and Zinc are very powerful and are essential in maintaining and supporting our immunity. Foods high in Vitamin A are any dark leafy green veggie, carrots, broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, yams, red cabbage. Vitamin C is found in foods like the citrus fruits, red and green peppers, broccoli, and dark leafy greens. Zinc can be found in whole grains and beans.
Please contact me if you feel you immunity needs a boost or you have any other health concerns.
