Your immune system's purpose is to protect you from bacteria and viruses. While you may not be able to prevent becoming ill entirely, building a strong immune system is your best bet for staying well. If you do get sick, improving your immune system will help ease your symptoms.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a responsibility. But can condo living ever be healthy? The answer is yes, and in more ways than one. The advantages of condo living go well beyond the simple fact that it is conveniently located and close to many points of interest. It's not just about the comforts either. Condo living provides a space to partake in health practices to equip your body with a stronger immune system.
Ways to Boost the Immune System
Maintain a Well-balanced Diet
A healthy immune system depends on good nutrition. In the same way, that a bad diet may weaken your immune system, good nutrition can serve as a building block for strength. Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet can help you stay healthy by improving your ability to fight infections.
Eating food rich in these five important vitamins and minerals will keep your body healthy.
Vitamin C: It has antibodies that aid the body's defenses against infection and bacteria. Vitamin C is abundant in citrus fruits, broccoli, grapefruit, strawberries, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, potatoes, and tomato juice.
Vitamin D: It helps the body fight infections and preserves healthy bones. oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, egg yolks, mushrooms, fortified milk, liver, cereals, and bread are all good sources of Vitamin D.
Vitamin A: It aids in the regulation of the immune system and guards against infection. Eggs, tuna, cheese, Sweet potatoes, carrots, milk and yogurt, apricots, lettuce, and spinach are good sources of vitamin A.
Vitamin E: It is a vital antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin E may be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and broccoli, nuts like almonds, peanuts, and hazelnuts, plant oils such as rapeseed, sunflower, soya, corn, and olive oil.
Zinc: It is an antioxidant that also helps regulate metabolism and heal wounds. Among the zinc-rich foods are red and white meat, seafood, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, and beans), and nuts, and seeds.
Drink Plenty of Water
It is impossible to overstate the importance of drinking water, considering all of the ways in which it boosts your immune system. If you're worried about becoming sick, start by drinking plenty of water. Water aids in the delivery of oxygen to your cells, resulting in healthy systems. When consumed in greater quantities, it helps to flush out the toxins from the body which impairs your immune system.
You can add a squeeze of lemon to a glass of cold water for a refreshing treat. Lemon water has several health advantages. Because lemons are high in vitamin C, they're a wonderful way to keep your immune system strong, prevent illness, and combat the common cold. Drinking water with a splash of lemon juice may improve digestion and cleansing.
Get Enough Hours of Sleep
It's essential to get enough amount of sleep each night if you want to stay healthy and be productive during the day. Get enough high-quality sleep to maintain a healthy immune system, an improved ability to respond quickly to vaccinations, as well as the ability to experience fewer and milder allergic responses.
How much sleep is needed to improve the immune system? Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep every night to function well. Teenagers require nine to ten hours of sleep every night. School-aged children may require ten or more hours of sleep.
However, getting more sleep does not necessarily lead to better health. Adults who sleep for more than nine to ten hours a night may experience sleep problems including trouble sleeping or staying asleep.
Stay Active
Many health advantages may be attributed to regular exercise, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, improved mood, and a stronger immune system.
When you exercise, blood and lymph flow, boosting the production and circulation of immune cells, causing them to travel more quickly and in greater numbers throughout your body. Specifically, it increases the production of white blood cells known as macrophages. Macrophages are white blood cells that kill bacteria and viruses as they move through the body.
Being in isolation where fitness centers are closed doesn’t mean you should also stop exercising. If you're a condo owner, you're probably aware of the convenience of condo living - having a gym as part of your condo's facilities. But if you haven't yet got the confidence to share a sweat public space yet, it's feasible to workout inside your condo. You don't even have to spend a lot of money on equipment or weights to get started exercising.
Here's a list of home workouts you can do inside your condo:
Jumping jacks
Push-ups
Squats
Bench dips
Mountain climbers
Lunges
Glute bridge
Plank
Reverse Crunch and Vertical Crunch
Burpees
Yoga
Condo living allows you to have a comfortable and safe workout space to help you maintain strength and fitness.
Stress Less
Long-term stress, according to the American Psychological Association, impairs your immune system's ability. Stress lowers levels of lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that aid in infection defense. The lower your lymphocyte counts, the more vulnerable you are to viruses like the common cold.
Here are some tips to manage stress before it gets too much:
Yoga: You can take an online yoga class or follow yoga instructors on YouTube. There are several types of yoga. The ones that emphasize gradual movement, stretching, and deep breathing are the most effective for reducing anxiety and tension.
Meditation: Many people find meditation beneficial and effective. In addition to reducing stress and anxiety, it has been shown to boost mood, improve sleep and energy levels in people who use it regularly.
Deep Breathing Techniques: Slow, controlled breathing from the diaphragm is an excellent technique to reduce the stress hormone cortisol, regulate blood pressure, and improve blood flow.
Employ Positive Thinking: Focusing on the positive can help a person better cope with stressful events, have a more optimistic long-term view on life, and maintain positive social connections.
Diet: Antioxidants are helpful in keeping your cells safe from the harm caused by prolonged stress. Beans, fruits, berries, vegetables, and even spices like ginger are excellent sources of antioxidants.
Pro tip: Having pets or a company with you to talk about anything can also be a stress reliever. Pets can comfort you from the stress from work, school, or anything. By walking with your dog or cat after a long day at work or even play time with them will help ease your stress.
Eat Food with Probiotics
About 70% of the immune system is in the gut. A probiotic is a healthy strain of bacteria that lives in the gut and aids with digestion, vitamin synthesis, and immune system support. Increasing your intake of probiotic-rich foods helps you recover faster from illnesses or lessen infection.
Take Vitamins
Yes, vitamins and supplements can help fill in nutritional gaps in your diet, but the best approach to ensure you're getting enough of the important elements you need is to acquire them from food. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, heart-healthy fats, and lean meats is the greatest way to avoid disease and provide your body the most nutrients.
Aside from that, getting vaccinated will also boost and protect yourself from the virus or any sickness to have a stronger and healthier immune system. There are many possible ways to get vaccinated. With this, everyone should get vaccinated most importantly if there's opportunity.
Most people have goals to achieve - be it traveling with friends, buying a home, or getting your first investment. During time of uncertainties, it is important to look after your health and wellness to ensure a life that's more successful. Just like an investment, it must be well taken care of. Stay healthy!