When winter and the cold arrive, it is not always easy to take care of your immune system. So to get your dose of well-being as this season approaches, here are some tips to strengthen your natural defenses and find your balance:
How to boost your immune system?
Hand washing remains the best defense
To deal with circulating viruses and prevent their spread, hand washing is essential. To be effective, it must be meticulous: with liquid soap, rub your hands well (minimum 30 seconds), taking care not to neglect the palms of the hands, the back, the wrists and the fingers.
Sleep recharges our defenses
Get enough sleep, 7 to 8 hours per night to avoid fatigue when you wake up. Good, quality, long-term sleep allows the body to recharge with energy. Regardless of the period, it is essential not to change your habits. Sleeping well, moving away from screens after a certain time, continuing to set your alarm are small actions that will make everyday life easier and strengthen your immune system.
Stay active!
To avoid being overwhelmed by the change of season, it is important to exercise, as this will have many benefits on your immune system. In fact, it releases endorphins, the happiness hormone, and lowers stress levels. In gyms or at home, it is easy to do sports and exercises even in your living room. This is an opportunity to discover certain practices such as Zumba, or take part in one of the many online coach sports programs, such as Maxime Krantz's snack challenge. In practice, we recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. Certain activities, such as Pilates, also promote muscle strengthening while being good for your mind. Of course, always be careful about overtraining.
Do not let panic take over our emotions
There are healthy and effective techniques for relieving stress no matter what stage it is at when you feel overwhelmed. Here are your 3 partners, simple exercises that you can do at home and that will help you take care of your immune system:
- Meditation : allows you to regularly return to a state of inner serenity to forget the annoyances of everyday life and regain control over the situation that is disturbing you
- Yoga : practiced in various forms, yoga promotes a good distribution of energy in the body and in the head
- Massage : allows you to relax the muscles and thus eliminate the various muscular ailments due to anxiety
This situation can be difficult to deal with, and if you don't feel well, the best thing is to talk about it. Stay positive, maintain gratitude and kindness, and take care of yourself and those around you.
What foods strengthen the immune system?
Taking care of your immune system and your intestinal flora obviously involves nutrition. So, we put junk food aside and opt for vegetables and fruits which are full of antioxidants and have many benefits. These play a role in immunity by protecting the body against oxidative damage caused by free radicals. We ensure that our diet is as healthy as possible and we overuse superfoods:
To strengthen your immune system, it is recommended to consume:
- Vitamin C which protects immunity cells from oxidation. It is found in parsley, red pepper, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, radishes), kiwi, citrus fruits (a little extra for lemon to consume in juice) and redcurrants.
- Vitamin A which stimulates the proliferation of white blood cells and the production of antibodies. It is found in orange or green plants such as squash, carrots, spinach or lettuce.
- Vitamin D which constitutes a key factor in immunity. It is found in fatty fish such as herring and mackerel, and in eggs.
- Trace elements such as zinc , provided by oysters, rye bread and sesame, copper found in shrimp, hazelnuts and dark chocolate, iron provided in spices, red meat and lentils and finally selenium found in animal foods such as eggs, fish and chicken.
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Grapefruit seed extract : considered a natural antibiotic, it is a powerful antibacterial which helps to strengthen the body's cells thanks to its antioxidant properties.
Do not hesitate to use frozen products because they often contain more vitamins than other products on the shelves. Try to respect the 3 daily meals and favor raw or compote fruits during the crunch phases. And when the urge becomes too repetitive, maybe it's time to do a meditation session?
Hydrate yourself!
To maintain a good level of hydration, bring several bottles of water and opt for white or green tea (we favor plants). White tea, whose leaves are not oxidized, offers a great wealth of catechins, notably epigallocatechin, the champion of immunity. Green tea also contains polyphenols in large quantities. These antioxidants help protect our immune system and ensure the protection of white blood cells.
Sources:
https://www.temporel.fr/info-coronavirus
https://www.pressesante.com/coronavirus-comment-maintenir-son-immunite-au-top/
https://www.medoucine.com/blog/booster-son-systeme-immunitaire/
https://www.gael.be/bien-etre/sante-comment-booster-votre-immunite-et-vous-premunir-des-virus
