Don’t you hate how some people constantly get sick in your office and yet other coworkers never take a sick day?
Despite what you hear, your ultimate weapon against the dreaded cold/ flu season isn’t a flu shot. You can’t just stop by your Walgreens for a shot, continue your crappy diet and sedentary behavior, and expect to be flu-free all winter.
Get proactive and boost your immune system naturally. Besides sailing through the season with nary a sniffle, you’ll create healthy habits that carry you beyond cold/ flu season with these five powerful strategies.
- Eat your vegetables. Load up on broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage, which come packed with immune-boosting sulfur. Likewise, spinach packs beta-carotene, vitamin C, and plenty of other antioxidants to stave off a cold even at your immune-challenged office. (Wouldn’t it be nice to take a sick day and not actually be sick?) Skip the chicken noodle soup for an organic chicken broth packed with vegetables. And eat your veggies with good fat: olive or coconut oil helps your body absorb their fat-soluble nutrients.
- Optimize your vitamin D. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found vitamin D activates your immune defenses. Without sufficient vitamin D, your immune system can’t fight serious infections. Get 20 minutes of sun without sunscreen a few times each week. Even with the sun, most people aren’t making enough vitamin D these days, so a supplement proves your best strategy to guarantee optimal levels. Thorne Research makes vitamin D capsules and liquid in various dosages to match your needs.
- Stress less. A meta-analysis of 300 studies showed chronic stress – whether a few days or several years – dramatically weakens all aspects of immunity. Researchers found that “long-term or chronic stress, through too much wear and tear, can ravage the immune system.” Stress lowers natural killer cell activity, raises fat-storing cortisol, and depletes vitamin C. You can’t change the economy or fire your boss, but you can change how you respond to stress. Watch a silly comedy with your girlfriends, have a venti decaf green tea at Starbucks (theanine in the tea helps you relax), create a gratitude list, and take some daily me time for a hot bath and calming meditation.
- Sleep more. Just one night of poor sleep raises stress hormones and impairs immune function. Poor sleep also increases appetite, cravings, and aging. (That’s one reason why late-night party girl starlets start looking older than they are at a certain point.) You need seven to nine hours of high-quality sleep each night. Sleep doesn’t just happen: you’ve got to prepare your body for rest. Power down your laptop and your body the hour before bed with a hot bath, a sleepy time tea, and some soothing music.
- Exercise. A study in the International Journal of Sports Medicine showed moderate exercise can increase your body’s macrophage production. These Pac-man guys destroy harmful bacteria and strengthen your immune system. You may be surprised to learn that running, aerobics classes, and treadmill marathons all raise cortisol and actually weaken your immune system. Ditch those hours making yourself sick for burst training, which lets you get a four-minute workout in your own home and boosts fast fat loss.
Sources:
Nieman D. Exercise, Infection, and Immunity. Int J Sports Med 1994; 15: S131-S141
http://www.apa.org/research/action/immune.aspx
© 2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food allergies. She is the bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout & co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to take the quiz & find out if Your “Healthy” Habits are Making You Tired, Bloated & Age Faster?
.png){kind=small}
