Over the past three months, protecting your body from viral illness like COVID-19 has been a priority. There are no certain solution that is readily available to protect you from this illness, unless you practice good hygiene and always keeping strong immunity. The latter is probably a far more important thing to be concerned about rather than making sure that you have enough stock of masks at home, as masks won't really protect you from contracting the virus itself. What then are the things you should probably do to build your immunity, in order to keep yourself healthy during these challenging times? On this week's journal, we will be explaining a few things you can do to boost your immunity. Read on!
1. Maintain your hygiene
As daily activities forces you to be in contact with various things and people each day, you should practice good hygiene as it is one of the best ways to ward off illnesses. For example, washing your hands frequently with soap and water is one of the most important preventive measures. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before preparing food, before eating, after coughing, sneezing, using the bathroom, or touching public surfaces. Keep in mind though, moderation is always key, as excessive hand washing can also lead you to other problems, such as skin problems on your hands. Also important to dry your hands properly after washing them, because viruses are more likely to spread on damp and wet surfaces.
2. Be mindful of what you eat
Building and maintaining immunity requires you to consume nutritious foods. Instead of consuming processed food, opt for fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are essential to support your immune system by helping to combat free radicals, which can damage DNA and suppress the immune system. Consuming complex carbohydrates, healthy proteins, and healthy fats, as opposed to saturated fats that are prominent in processed foods, may also help increase your body's production healthy cells and building immunity.
Don't forget to keep your hydration in check, as fulfilling daily water intake may also help your cells operate efficiently and allowing the body to process food and eliminate waste.
3. Exercise frequently
Studies have shown that regular moderate-intensity exercise impose benefits to the immune system by mobilizing immune system cells, helping the body defend itself against pathogens and cancer cell growth. Those who regularly engage in this type of exercise have fewer illnesses and less systemic inflammation. Exercise may also protect the immune system from the effects of aging. Especially if you're exercising outdoor, exposure to sun may boost your vitamin D intake, which helps to improve immune responses and reduce your chances of contracting viral infections. Gain more vitamin D by exposing your arms and legs to sunlight for about 15 minutes without sunscreen three times per week, or taking a supplement of 1000 IU of vitamin D daily
4. Get enough sleep and reduce stress
Another healthy habit to prevent getting ill is to obtain full eight hours of sleep each night, which may help regulate immune function. A research have shown that people who slept less than six hours per night were more likely to catch a cold and other respiratory infections.
Aside from that, stress can also majorly impact your health, especially your immune functions. A study suggests that while short-term exposure to stressors can increase your barriers up, chronic stress may subsequently wear down your immune system and increase your vulnerability to illness. A simple example would be right now, when mass media are hyping up the coronavirus phenomena, you can always regulate yourself to not get stressed by it. While you've already done your best to manage your own situation physically, mentally you should also stop worrying about things that may happen. Fear won't really help solve your anxiety, and even may add your problems instead.
5. Consume herbs and supplements
Even though scientific support for claims that vitamin, herb, or supplement can prevent or treat colds and other infectious illnesses is limited, you can always consume them to build your immunity and prevent getting ill. Amongst all efforts to build your immunity, this last step is especially important.
For example, consuming a glass of warm water with turmeric everyday in the morning is known to help you maintain liver health and flush out toxins from the body. However, turmeric consumption can also help accelerate mucus production that naturally flushes out microbes from the respiratory tract. Turmeric contains antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties that may help fight infections in the body, as well as relieving the symptoms of cough and cold.
Herbana's Relief Sari range, such as Kulit Manggis, Kunyit, Jahe Merah, Jinten Hitam, Meniran, and Daun Kelor, are all offering you a natural way to build your immunity and improve your immune response to prevent viral infections. Made from natural extracts, these herbal supplements help you to consume the goodness of herbs through a simple way, especially if you have an active lifestyle.
