Immunity Effects of Lack of Exercise
In exercising, the immune system acts as a surveillance system, vigilantly guarding the body from any outside forces. Dr David C Nieman of the American College of Sports Medicine notes that cardiovascular and strength training can increase the flow of immune cells, making them more productive against bacteria and viruses. This makes regular exercise not only an approach to muscle building, but also an aid to improving our immune system.
Fitness Advice: Harmonizing the Body and Mind
Light exercise is a part of healthy living and is essential to help maintain and boost immunity. These exercises not only help circulate blood well but also provide inner balance in a stressful day. Slow exercise, whether yoga, Pilates or jogging, allows us to unwind both body and mind while assisting the immune system in normalizing its function. Every day stretching, walking, tai chi, each exercise aligns your body and mind and continually optimizes health and immunity.
Here are some recommended exercises:
- Pilates: Tones muscles in the back, improves posture and balance, and boosts the immune system.
- Walking fast: Walks lasting 30 minutes each day can boost cardiovascular health and immune cells.
- Simple Weight Training: Light dumbbells can help you burn more calories and increase your immune defense system.
- Massages: Easy massages enhance blood circulation, ease muscle pain, and also boost the immune system.
- Tai Chi: Tai Chi uses slow, slow movements to relieve stress and boost cardiovascular health and immune system.
- Slow Jogging: Slow running (rather than running), for long periods of exercise without gaining fatigue, supports cardiovascular health and boosts immune function.
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Sleeping Enough: Restarting Your Immune System
We also go through critical body repairs, including immune boosts while we sleep. T cells, which fight off pathogens, become stronger while sleeping. Our body also produces hormones, such as growth hormone, melatonin and prolactin, which encourage immune cells to grow and fight disease. When you can’t sleep, the stress hormones keep pouring in, depressing T cells and weakening your immune system, leaving you susceptible to infection. Therefore, sleep quality is far more crucial to maintaining an effective immune system than getting sufficient rest.
How to Improve Sleep Quality:
- Sleep Well: Turn off your phone and computer at night, try relaxing by meditation or stretching exercises, thus avoiding negative effects of stress hormones on immunity.
- Wear Blue Light Glasses: The blue light produced by your electronic devices may interfere with the production of melatonin, which reduces immunity and sleep. Wearing blue light glasses helps reduce this impact.
- Add Calcium and Magnesium: Calcium and magnesium not only calm nerves but they also help keep the immune system in good shape, allowing you to resist disease. Calcium sources: milk, dried fish, black sesame, etc.
- Magnesium sources: whole grains, bananas, spinach, etc.
- Take Tryptophan: Tryptophan enables the production of serotonin and melatonin, the building blocks of immunity. Tryptophan sources: milk, almonds, eggs, chicken, etc.
- Vitamin B Complex: The vitamin B complex is responsible for the regulation of tryptophan and serotonin, melatonin and other hormones directly influencing immunity and sleeping. Vitamin B complex sources: mushrooms, beans, dairy products, etc.
Sleep Enough: Kickstart Your Immune System
The whole body gets repaired, immune systems reinforced while we sleep. Night is the night of stronger T cells preventing infection. Even our bodies secrete hormones – growth hormone, melatonin, prolactin – that prod immune cells to proliferate and attack pathogens. When you aren’t sleeping, stress hormones creep in, slowing down T cells and hamstringing your immune system, leaving you open to infection. And that is why good sleep is a lot more important to a healthy immune system than bad sleep.
How to Improve Sleep Quality:
- Sleep Well: Turn off phone and computer at night, unwind with meditation or stretching to stay away from stress hormone effects on immunity.
- Put on Blue Light Eyeglasses: Your electronics’ blue light may lower melatonin levels and lower immunity and sleep. Blue light sunglasses cancel this.
- Mix in Calcium and Magnesium: Calcium and magnesium don’t only calm nerves, they also keep your immune system strong, so you can fight disease. Calcium sources: milk, dried fish, black sesame, etc.
- Magnesium source: Whole grain, bananas, spinach etc.
- Tryptophan: Tryptophan stimulates serotonin and melatonin, the chemical compounds of immunity. Tryptophan sources: milk, almonds, eggs, chicken etc.
- Vitamin B Complex: Vitamin B complex regulates tryptophan, serotonin, melatonin, other hormones directly involved in immunity and sleep. B complex Vitamins: mushrooms, beans, dairy, etc.
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