How to increase defenses

Immune system

Do you want to know how to increase defenses? If you feel helpless in the face of viruses circulating around you, you probably need to give your immune system a boost.

Although more attention is paid to it during winter (cold and flu season), make sure that the immune system works at full capacity throughout the year to fight all kinds of infections with guarantees. And the following tips will help you get there.

What are defenses for?

Headache

As its name suggests, defenses defend your body from millions of threats that can invade it and put it in serious danger. The immune system is a natural barrier, a product of evolution that fulfills a function as simple as it is important: to keep us alive and healthy.

This complex network protects you against viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi that can make you sick. These threats are found everywhere, from work and the street to your own home. Consequently, your defenses must be in good shape to prevent them from entering your body. Many crash against this barrier, but many others manage to enter. Fortunately, the immune system is also prepared to defend you from within, attacking and destroying these invaders before they can reproduce, and even while they do.

When it comes to the immune system, you often think of colds and flu, but good defenses protect you against both minor and more serious diseases, including cancer.

Key habits to have good defenses

Rules

Did you know that your lifestyle can help your defenses work better? Poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, and chronic stress are among the factors that weaken this natural barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, viruses, and toxins.

On the other hand, dietary supplements do not offer any guarantee when it comes to strengthening the defenses. The safe bet is to lead a lifestyle that is as healthy as possible. The following are the key habits:

How to increase defenses with food

Red and yellow peppers

As expected, diet is highly important to strengthen the immune system. In this sense, you need to eat enough fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.

The nutrients in food - especially the antioxidant vitamins - help the defenses to function at full capacity. The simplest strategy to obtain the necessary nutrients for both the immune system and other important functions is fill one half of your plate with vegetables and the other with lean protein and carbohydrates. Make sure that in your shopping cart there is a wide variety of colors, both fruits and vegetables, in order to access the highest number of antioxidants possible. It should be noted that garlic is also credited with antibiotic properties, so consider using it in your meals.

Alcohol and sugar are not advisable, especially if your defenses are low. Consequently, use moderation with alcoholic beverages (two drinks a day is the maximum) and sugary meals. Naturally, the snuff It is another habit that does not help the immune system, so if you smoke, the state of your defenses is one of the many reasons why you should quit.

Get moving

Rowing competition

If you don't exercise regularly, getting started can make a big difference. Train three or more days a week and make sure that the duration of your workouts is 30 minutes or more.

Doing activities that increase the heart rate has been associated with a strengthening of the immune system. Apparently, the white blood cells of athletes work better than those of those who do not include any type of physical activity in their daily life.

Sport is full of benefits

Take a look at the article: Sports benefits. There you will find all the advantages for your body that doing any type of sport on a regular basis.

Keep stress at bay

Man doing yoga

Did you know that chronic stress can weaken your defenses and make you unprotected against numerous diseases? If you feel like your stress levels are staying too high day after day, there are some habits that can help alleviate the problem. The first thing is to try to take life more calmly. However, that is easy to say but not so easy to carry out, so the following are more concrete strategies to reduce your stress:

Get enough hours of sleep

One of the keys to preventing stress and increasing defenses is sleep. When a person does not sleep well, many functions can be adversely affected, including the immune system. If you think you already enjoy a good quality of sleep, try reducing your stress with the following strategies:

  • Use relaxation techniques
  • Practice exercise
  • Improve the quality and duration of your leisure time

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