YOUR BEST DEFENSE AGAINST THE SWINE FLU…

A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM

Flu season is upon us, and we are all concerned about our health and the health of our families.  Symptoms of the flu include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue. We have heard all the ways to help prevent illness such as practicing good hand washing and avoiding crowds of people or those who may be infected. While those suggestions are very helpful, often we forget about the power of a strong immune system! Our susceptibility to any illness depends on two factors: exposure and our overall health. Our immune system is our primary defense against any bug or disease attempting to attack our bodies.

The GOOD NEWS is that our health is all about choices. We have the power to build our bodies up or tear them down. Keeping our immune system strong is SO IMPORTANT! When our body is weakened, it is not able to fight off harmful viruses and bacteria. We can make simple choices today that will change our health for the better today and in the future. These are a few simple ways we can work to strengthen our immune system and reduce our risk of being sick this winter or any time of year:

DRINK MORE WATER
 It flushes harmful toxins from our bodies and allows our defense systems to function properly. A good rule is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water each day. Work up to that goal!\

AVOID EXCESS SUGAR
Sugar disrupts our immune system and decreases our body’s ability to fight off sickness for hours after ingestion.  Just one juice box and a cookie or cupcake can reduce the ability of our white blood cells to kill germs by 40%!!!  Watch out because sugar is hidden in lots of food we wouldn’t expect like yogurt, fruit juices, and even ketchup.

EXCERISE
People who exercise regularly reported fewer colds than their sedentary peers.-Research Digest     Just start somewhere….take the stairs at work, walk on your lunch break, or play with the kids.  A combination of cardio, strength training and yoga is ideal!

REDUCE STRESS
Stress tears down our immune system and ages us beyond our years. Make some time for yourself!

SLEEP
Adults need 8-10 hours of sleep per day and children need 9-12 hours.  It is so important to give our bodies the time to regenerate, grow and heal while we are asleep. Lack of sleep causes stress in our body!

EAT MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
They are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants. There are over 12,000 nutrients found in a single apple!!! Just image how you could strengthen your body by adding that much more nutrition to your daily diet.  Besides, eating your fruits and vegetables can help meet your goal of 30-50 grams of fiber per day to help obtain and/or maintain your optimum weight!

The recommendation is that we eat 9-13 serving of fruits and vegetables every day and that our children eat 5-9 servings. Unfortunately in our busy lives, that just does not happen!  If you’d like more information about a simple and inexpensive solution to increase vital nutrition to your body, contact lorrie@hourglassfitnessandwellness.com or call 913-269-7990.