HEALTH & WELLNESS The Newsletter About Your Health and Caring for Your Body
INSIDE: • 12 Things You Can Do Every Day to Help Maintain a Healthy Immune System • Exercise Essentials
12 THINGS YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY TO HELP MAINTAIN A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM
The best we can do is arm our internal environment with what it needs to combat our external environment. Today it’s more important than ever to give your body everything it needs to help support your immune system. Here are 12 things you can do every day to help maintain a healthy immune system: Keep a Positive Mindset A positive mindset doesn’t mean you ignore life’s difficulties and challenges – it means you approach them in a more constructive and positive way. A positive mindset has been linked with lower rates of depression, resistance to the common cold, and better cardiovascular health. Here’s What You Do: Expect the best, not the worst, and take every challenge and roadblock as a chance to learn and improve. Read our blog: When life serves you lemons make lemonade. Stay Hydrated The human body is mostly water, and our brain and muscles are up to 75% water. Water
is found in every cell, tissue, and organ in the body – that’s how important it is. Proper hydration improves brain function, helps deliver oxygen to the body, lubricates joints, and is essential for cell growth, replication, and survival. It’s best to drink water with electrolytes, since the electrolytes help the water permeate our cells, thereby improving absorption. Here’s What You Do: Aim to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day (and more if you are active or sweating). Eat Your Vegetables Vegetables (and fruits) are loaded with vitamins and minerals that help support immunity, including vitamins C, B6, and E. Vegetables that are particularly rich in these nutrients include yellow bell peppers, kale, broccoli, spinach, peas, potatoes, carrots, and avocados. Quercetin (a flavonoid found in onions, grapes, capers, and black and green tea) is believed to have antiviral properties. Here’s What You Do: Eat vegetables as much as possible daily, and remember to eat your
vegetables raw or lightly cooked, as this helps retain nutrients and ensures that you’re getting everything your body needs. Consume Vitamin D Vitamin D plays a key role in immune health. When you are deficient in vitamin D, you may have an increased risk of respiratory infection. There are three ways to get vitamin D: • Get outside in the sun – this is the best (and easiest) source, but may be difficult for many based on location, season, weather, or current regulations. • Great natural food sources including fatty fish, cremini mushrooms, and yogurt. • Consider a supplement. If you don’t know your vitamin D level, your doctor can test it. Until then, consider taking 2,500 to 5,000 IU daily. Here’s What You Do: Spend time outside whenever possible, consume natural foods like fatty fish and yogurt, and consider taking a supplement to ensure you are getting as much as you need every day.
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