Top 4 Tips to Maximize Immune Function for Covid-19, the Flu, or
Anything Else that Comes Your Way
Health has become a national topic of interest. No longer are we plagued with the basic flu season, now there’s Covid-19 and the many variants that follow. The first line of defense should always be the immune system. Some may argue that vaccination is the key, but with everything that has transpired, the strength of your immune system is your responsibility.
Medicine is designed to help the body to decrease the effects of a health challenge but typically cannot cure. The human body is designed as a finely tuned engine. Our goal is to make sure it has all the nutrients necessary to perform at an optimal level.
The moment we began to eat solid foods, our body began to create the foundation of our own personal health. Every bite since then has a direct relationship to how the body utilizes nutrients for repair, energy, and overall health.
Food can awaken the immune system or create an ideal environment for sleep. Creating the right habits throughout the day and week enhances its function and provides the needed strength to perform under any condition.
Keeping the immune system in top performance can be simplified with the right ingredients. Here are my Top 4 Immune Boosting Tips for Success:
- Minimize your SUGARS
First of all, sugar is not simply white table sugar. There’s an array of foods that our body treats in the same manner as table sugar. These are sugar, flour, dairy, and alcohol. Unfortunately, many of us overindulge in all these in one sitting, this hampers the immune system and aids in weight gain.
When it comes to the immune system, here is the easiest way to understand the challenges. The same nutrients that help to support and maintain the immune system, are some of the same ones that are needed to break down and digest sugars. In other words, your immune system is left short-handed when it’s in the midst of digesting bread, cheese, and wine, as an example. Depending on the number of sugars your body has to digest in one sitting, will dictate the amount of time your immune system is short-handed, and this could last as long as 5 hours.
- Fruits and Vegetables are your primary MULTI-VITAMIN
Adding in a fruit or vegetable with every meal and snack enhances the body’s nutritional supply. We need approx. 98 vitamins and minerals per day for the optimal functioning of the body. Supplements can act as an assistant, but are never the main supply for enhanced nutrition. Our body responds better and faster when nutrients come from our foods, preferably fresh ones. Your fruits and vegetables provide an array of nutrients and their color helps provide even more. The darker the richer the color, the more nutrition they offer per bite. Keeping an array of color with every meal and snack assures optimal nutrition throughout the day
- STRESS challenges the Immune System every time
As directors, therapists, or anyone else involved in the spa industry, we have so much on our plate. Multi-tasking is an understatement. Taking time to defuse from the day and creating rituals to make life smoother is a priority we should all instill. When we are stressed, our body tenses. Unfortunately, that small, or large, bit of tension affects our digestion and our ability to absorb the nutrition from our food choices. Ideal food choices plus stress equals nutritional deficiencies. Health has many components, and combining them in the right way keeps enhances health. Personally, a cup of warm tea or a great workout throws my stress away. How do you defuse from a crazy day?
- EXERCISE, ENDORPHINS, and the funny stuff.
When we laugh, and when we exercise, we have the ability to release a “happy drug” throughout the body. Endorphins are this jewel. The harder you laugh, or the harder you exercise, the more is released. This wonderful thing helps to release stress, boost the immune system, and melt away any negativity that’s kept inside. As a team leader or someone in charge of motivating others, it’s important to keep our energy up and stress down. Endorphins help to keep a day on a positive note. In a recent research study, they discovered that adults laugh 15 times a day and children…400 times a day!! In our industry, it’s so important to “not sweat the small stuff”. When was the last time you laughed?
I have been a health coach for over 30 years, this is my life. I truly understand what happens when we depend on others to keep us healthy from the inside out. These times are getting stranger every day, the only person you can depend on for your optimal health is YOU. There’s no medicine that cures a bad diet, excess stress, or lack of exercise. There’re no quick fixes as well. We are all in the health industry, having the ability to motivate and lead by example is our gift to our clients and family. Creating a lifestyle of healthy choices, will decrease health challenges and boost the immune system for amazing health that will last a lifetime.
About the Author
Adita Yrizarry-Lang is a SuperPower aficionado and mother of 2. Her “Journey” started as a fitness instructor 30+ years ago. Since then, she expanded her endeavors, from a biomechanics and resistance training expert to nutritional guru, mind-body coach, author of SuperPowers, A Busy Woman’s Guide to Health and Happiness and SuperPowers of the Family Kitchen, and women’s advocate for healthy living. Adita holds a degree in Holistic Nutrition, is a Lv3 Holistic Lifestyle Coach through the Chek Institute, and has been accredited by several health organizations. She has trained thousands of fitness professionals’ worldwide and often speaks at schools, Fortune 500 companies, and private organizations on the benefits of quality foods, longevity, and amazing health.
Adita’s mission…encourage individuals to live Inspired. She wants to bring out the challenges and offer solutions to make SuperPowers shine and life thrive on!