Gain a fall immunity boost with these simple habits!
After the amazing season of soaking up the sun, vacations, and charging ourselves with vitamin D (and the sea), comes autumn, the season of melancholy and cold. With rapid temperature changes, days become shorter—the perfect environment to cradle the seasonal flu.
Don’t let the cold season blow off your mood! Let’s learn directly from the experts how to get a fall immunity boost without spending a ton of money on vitamin supplements.
Learn about the impact of healthy behaviors on strengthening your immune system by reading the following lines.
Eat fruit and veggies
If you want a scoop of fall immunity boost, make your plate as colorful as possible, with fresh fruits and seasonal vegetables rich in antioxidants, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and zinc. Each offers unique antioxidants and useful polyphenols that help maintain a healthy immune system.
Choose kiwi, berries, red grapes, lemons, oranges, apples, carrots, onions, and leafy greens like spinach and kale. Reduce your intake of meat and steer clear of highly processed and fatty meals, since these can lead to insulin spikes and inflammation, which can severely compromise your immune system’s capacity to fight off infections.
And don’t forget to also indulge in seasonal fruits and vegetables that are abundant in autumn. Opt for soups and stews with all the vegetables available. Parsnip, sweet potatoes, onion, radish, and white beans.
Eating healthily will not only enable natural weight loss but also boost immunity and help treat various lifestyle-related conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular problems. It will also really nourish our cells, preparing us to fight off infections.
Include food sources of probiotic bacteria in your diet
Our gut is home to a significant portion of our immune system. A healthy microbiome is crucial to general health, covering both immunological and mental well-being. Add dietary sources of probiotic bacteria to your diet to improve gut health and prevent seasonal flu. Some of the best probiotics to improve gut health are kimchi, yogurt, or kefir.
Consume turmeric!
From Instagram reels to random Facebook ads, turmeric has become so popular lately that you can easily find it in every supermarket or local spice store. This magnificent and tasty spice is widely known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It can be added to your morning cup of milk or your dishes as a flavor enhancer. Like curry, it may be an acquired taste, so use it sparingly if you’re not a fan of the sweet flavor in your dishes.
Watch out for your sleeping schedule
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states that lack of sleep has three negative impacts on our immune system: first, producing inflammatory cytokines, which raise the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases; second, decreasing the body’s natural killer (NK) cell production, which raises the risk of viral infections and cancer.
If you want to protect your body from getting the seasonal flu, then aim to change your sleeping schedule and have a restful sleep of 7 to 9 hours per night. Children from six to twelve should sleep nine to twelve hours every day.
To help yourself sleep better and faster, try to have a routine that you respect strictly. That means no reading before bed and no using a computer, tablet, or phone for an hour before bed. Get up and engage in some mundane activity until you feel ready to go to sleep if you can’t sleep for at least fifteen minutes.
If you can’t sleep every night at the same hour, you can take melatonin supplements to help you fall asleep faster. Take the pill 30 minutes before bedtime.
Spend time in nature
Another amazing way to get your fall immunity boost is by spending time in nature as much as possible, or as often as the weather allows you to. Getting enough vitamin D, especially during the cold season, is essential for boosting your immunity. Consider taking a vitamin D supplement if you live in an area where you are unable to get moderate sun exposure a few times a week (remember to wear sunscreen every day!).
You and your loved ones may enjoy a variety of outdoor activities throughout the fall. Go for a stroll or a hike, tidy up your yard, organize an outdoor treasure hunt, or construct a leaf pile (or ten) that the kids will want to jump from.
Stay active by exercising regularly
As we like to mention in almost every article on our page, exercising regularly has multiple health benefits, including boosting immunity. Exercise not only helps you sleep better and feel better, but it may also stave off disorders like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and other conditions.
Moderate exercise may help immune cells renew and decrease inflammation, according to studies. Hiking, swimming, running, biking, and fast walking are all excellent choices. Try to get in at least 20 minutes a day of moderate activity.
Do you find it difficult to engage in a repetitive physical activity like reps at the gym? Find an alternative that keeps you engaged, like kayaking or martial arts. None of these are appealing to you. Find on YouTube some bodyweight exercises that don’t require too many repetitions. Challenge yourself by going up in weight after you feel strong enough.
Get vaccinated
With a huge controversy about vaccines, now that COVID-19 is no longer present in our lives, fewer and fewer people want to get vaccinated, even for the flu. But we need to give up this stigma and listen to the doctors who know best. According to them, almost everyone six months of age or older should get the yearly flu shot. Unless your doctor recommends you not to! Getting the vaccine into the body will help you combat viruses instead of becoming infected.
This annual flu shot is going to help you strengthen your immune system and lessen the chances of getting sick during the cold season. However, keep in mind that by doing this, you won’t become 100% immune. The annual flu shot goes hand in hand with all the habits mentioned above.
Don’t forget to wash your hands properly
This is a habit we have all developed during and throughout the COVID-19 period. It’s a normal and healthy habit to still keep on doing because washing your hands for 30 seconds straight can help you lower the chances of getting infected and keep germs away.
Believe it or not, our skin is the largest organ, which can be easily invaded by viruses that then spread throughout the body. Wet your hands before washing them, then massage them with soap. Conscientiously rub your fingers and palms together. It may be a good idea to take off any jewelry to properly clean your hands.
Reduce stress as much as possible
Stress can lower your immune system and make you more vulnerable to the seasonal flu. There are several scientifically established ways to lower stress and boost immunity, including yoga, meditation, and qigong, an ancient Chinese practice that mixes breathing exercises, moderate movement, and meditation.
Easy breathing techniques are another beneficial approach. The 4-7-7 technique for example, which combines breathing for 4 counts, holding the breath for 7 counts, and then exhaling for 8 counts, is advised by experts. This can activate the vagus nerve in the body and create a relaxing response; try to do it at least four times.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you may also be interested in checking out 12 Delicious Raw Foods You Should Be Eating Regularly.
I am 85 years old. What should I be doing?