Spring Into Action and Boost Your Immune System
Our immune system does a remarkable job to protect us from diseases and keep us healthy. Healthy lifestyle strategies are key factors in maintaining strong immunity. Here are some simple yet powerful tips to optimize your wellness.
Regular exercise
Moderate regular exercise is one of the pillars of healthy living. It can boost our immune system and improve our mental health. During this anxious time it is more important than ever to stay active to keep our bodies strong and our minds clear. Exercise enhances circulation, which allows cells and substances of the immune system to move freely in our body and do their job. Since our gyms, pools, yoga studios and basketball courts are closed, we need to get creative and get back to the basics.
Here are some ways to go about it:
Thankfully outside is still open, running, biking and walking is still an option
Use your bodyweight to build strength. Thanks to youtube and social platforms there are plethora of options out there
Keep the blood flowing by stretching regularly
Diet
Healthy immune system requires good and regular nourishment. Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic is extremely challenging, increased anxiety and boredom can result in abandoned healthy eating. A little planning can help us maintain a healthy eating habit, and boost our mood and immunity.
Ways to go about it:
Eat seasonal by eating local. Locally grown foods have more nutrients since there is a shorter time between harvest to your table.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) places a big emphasis on food in relation to season. Eating foods that are in season enable us to be more in-tune with the rhythm of our environment. It is very important to remember that our body is a microcosm within our world a macrocosm.
Spring diet - Spring is all about liver and gallbladder, we need to modify our diet to support their function. Spring also represents renewal and growth. During spring we should consume naturally sweet foods of our planet; green leafy vegetables, sprouts and seeds, and raw and tender young vegetables such as baby carrots and young turnips and beets.In turn we should decrease foods which are taxing on the liver/ gallbladder and our digestive system: greasy foods, processed foods, refined sugars, and alcohol. While cooking during spring, we should incorporate pungent and spicy herbs and seeds: basil, bay leaf, caraway,, dill, fennel, marjoram and rosemary. Foods should be cooked for a shorter period of time at a higher temperature: stir-frying and sautéing with small amount of oil or steaming lightly.
Making daily meal plan
Plan for groceries ahead of time. Purchase fewer processed, high sodium and high sugar foods.
Load up on whole foods consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Life is about balance, pick a day of the week and plan the occasional comfort food.
Environment
We must maintain orderly and and pleasant living and work environments. Sunlight, pure pure and clean water enhance out immune system. During this time when we are spending more time indoors than ever, we need to make sure our surroundings are clean, clutter free and welcoming.
Clean the clutter, as it contributes to feeling overwhelmed and stress. Remove the items you no longer need, so you can make room for the things you absolutely love.
Improve air quality - Use indoor plants to purify the air and regulate humidity. Bamboo, snake plants and pothos are very low maintenance and hard to kill.
Improve lighting in your space by ensuring low spectrum light. Do your best to avoid fluorescent lights, it is believed fluorescent lighting may result in headaches.
Attitudinal Healing
Our mental health is the foundation for immunity. Time and time again it is proven that practices such as gratitude, mindfulness, mediation, and positive visualization which calm the nervous system also impact the immune system. Traditional Chinese medicine, views mind and body as one entity, mind influences the body and the body influences the mind. Our emotions cause physiological change in our body. Due to our current situation, our stress levels have reached an all-time high, we need a holistic approach to clear the clutter and calm our mind.
Here are a few tips to declutter your mind:
Start and end your day with a mediation
Keep a gratitude journal
Pause every now and then appreciate things that bring you comfort