Boosting your immunity couldn’t be more important than right now.  Maybe it’s something you haven’t paid much attention to in the past, but it should be at the forefront of your mind.  When I work with clients I encourage them to aim for what I refer to as the 4 pillars of balance.  This balance includes focusing on proper nutrition, effective exercise, sufficient sleep, and stress management.  While finding balance can help us reach our health goals, it can also help us strengthen our immunity. 

Unfortunately, there’s no magic pill to boost our immunity. The truth is healthy immune systems live in healthy bodies.  A healthy body is supported when we focus on finding balance by engaging in a variety of healthy behaviors.  I’ve included a short list here of ways to boost your immunity.

•  Support your good bacteria– Eighty percent of our immunity comes from our gut.  That’s a pretty significant number, right?  The bacteria in our gut is called the microbiome.  While I recommend a probiotic to all my clients to support a healthy balance of good bacteria, there are plenty of foods you can eat to support your gut health as well.  Focusing on a balance of prebiotics and probiotics should be the goal.

A prebiotic feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut and creates a healthy environment for our good bacteria to thrive. Plant based foods and whole grains are a great way to get prebiotics.  We can get probiotics from fermented foods including yogurt (focus on full fat, unsweetened), sauerkraut, kombucha, and kimchi.  Including foods with both pre and probiotics supports our overall health because it provides the vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients we need to maintain and repair our bodies.

• Exercise– Current guidelines suggest we get 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week.  This could include brisk walking, strength training, biking, running, or a home exercise video. There is research to support that our immune systems benefit from regular exercise. 

Our immune system contains cells called macrophages that “eat ” bacteria and viruses. Exercising boosts the circulation of these cells which can help fight off these bugs. 

• Get your Z’s– A lack of sleep is often to blame for a weakened immune system.   The demands of life can often reduce the amount of rest a person actually gets, but sleep is needed to restore our body.  It supports our body’s ability to “rest and digest.” Our immune system is compromised when we don’t give it the rest it needs.  It’s important to focus on getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

•  Manage your Stress– Easy to say, but during our current situation, this could be difficult to do.  Many of us are worried about our jobs, finances, helping our kids with school work, or getting sick. It can be difficult to reduce the wear stress can have on our mind and body. The reality is, stress causes inflammation in our body and this can lead to impaired immunity.

Some easy things you can do to reduce stress include deep breathing (inhale 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds), meditation (there are several apps available to guide you through this one), take a bath, or try yoga (yes, yoga studios are closed now, but try a video).

• Eat plenty of fruits and veggies– Our body produces free radicals (an unstable molecule that can damage the cells in our body) when we are sick. Eating foods with antioxidants can protect our cells from damage caused by free radicals.  This includes foods like berries, spinach, beans, pecans, walnuts, dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, and green tea.

• Cut out the sugar–  Eating foods that contain added sugar can have temporary effects on your immune system.  It has been found that foods that are high in sugar, like cookies and candy, can weaken the ability of our white blood cells to work efficiently.  Sugar consumption can increase the mineral loss in sweat and urine for up to 5 hours. https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/feeding-eating/family-nutrition/sugar/harmful-effects-excess-sugar. This means if you routinely eat sugar, there is no amount of dietary support or supplement that will allow you to keep up with your losses.

We’ve got some extra time on our hands now…it’s time to focus on finding BALANCE to support a healthy body.  Need help finding BALANCE in your life?  Schedule a free consultation with me to learn how I can help.  Head to my website https://balancehealthandnutrition.com/work-with-julie/ or email me @julieh@balancehealthandnutrition.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!