Every day we all face challenges to our health. Bacteria, viruses, and toxins are all around us. Our bodies do an incredible job of warding off the majority of them. Yet, sometimes are immune system, the body’s primary dense against infectious disease and illness, gets compromised. When our immune system is in an imbalanced state our immunity suffers and we are likely to get sick.
Our immune system is constantly responding to our inner and outer changing environment. A healthy immune system is one that has strength, flexibility, and adaptability. It needs the strength to keep us resistant to illness. Our lifestyle plays a large part in how we remain healthy. A stressful job, an erratic relationship, poor sleep, and a diet with mostly packaged and processed foods, can make us susceptible to imbalances, disease, and emotional distress.
Lifestyle Tips to Keep Your Immunity Up: 1. Manage your stress. Stress has many disastrous affects on the body. A stressful exam or job, can lead us to getting a cold or other illnesses. Identify what is causing you stress and ask yourself how you can aid in fixing it. We will always face with stress in our lives, but it is how we respond to it that changes how it affects our health. Practicing a meditation or relaxation technique on a daily basis can help reduce stress.
2. Eat well. According to Ayurveda, if we sample foods that correspond to each of the six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent) throughout the day, our meals will provide a wide variety of health-promoting nutrients. Favor fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid processed and packaged foods, deep-fried foods, and foods that have been left out too long.
3. Get adequate restful sleep. A lack of sleep weakens the immune system, contributes to weight gain and inflammation, and creates other imbalances in the body. Looking at your sleep cycle can help you feel better in many areas of your life!
4. Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity slows the release of stress-related hormones, improves sleep, and strengthens the immune system. Integrate strength building, mobility, flexibility, and cardiovascular activities into your daily routine for optimal health. You don’t need to do it for two hours every day or become obsessed to benefit from exercise. Often people think exercise has to be for what we want our bodies to look like. Yet, exercise for your health and enjoyment will bring longer lasting effects! If you have a pretty sedentary lifestyle, walking more and getting into nature can be extremely life changing!
5. Enjoy an Abhyanga massage. Healing touch not only awakens immune function, it simply feels good. An Abhyanga, an Ayurvedic massage, works our lymphatic system, which plays a vital part in our immune system!
6. Create more beauty and limit your screen time. Limit your exposure to movies, media, and other platforms that make you compare yourself to others or that show violence. A Harvard study showed that watching violent scenes weakens immunity, whereas watching loving or uplifting images stimulates the immune system. Getting out into nature more, having rituals, and creating balance can make the stresses of life easier.