How to Boost Your Immune System

As we continue to face off against COVID-19, let’s focus on fortifying your body for battle by boosting your immune system. Today we focus on stress, water intake and nutritional supplementation.

Stress and Anxiety

If you’re in a pressure cooker job with heaps of tension, how you respond makes a big difference in the health of your immune system. While everybody faces stress, it’s how we manage it that counts.

Negative impacts of long-term stress include inflammation and poor performance of immune cells, some of which can be improved by working on your psychological response to daily situations. For the sake of your health, practice meditation, yoga, regular exercise and other relaxation techniques. For persistent anxiety and stress, licensed counselors and therapists can work wonders.

Water and Other Liquids

Preventing dehydration is crucial to your health. Dehydration causes headaches, can hinder physical performance, focus, mood, digestion, heart and kidney function. Being compromised in these areas increases chances for disease.

You hear that you should, “Drink plenty of liquids.” But how much water your body needs varies based on things like how much you exercise, whether you work outside and your overall health. Half your body weight in ounces, plus 20 ounces, is a good place to start.

Other drinks considered healthy: green tea, adding lemon or coconut to water, kombucha and apple cider vinegar, pomegranate and beet juices and protein shakes.

Supplements

Science is cautious about crediting nutritional supplements with fighting disease, understandably. But research suggests certain supplements might strengthen immune performance overall.

Vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, elderberry and garlic, all seem to be beneficial when taken in supplement form—assuming you are not getting enough in your diet.

Jill Strand and Chris Radke are owners and certified trainers at UpLift Guided Fitness in Woodbury. 651.209.6778