Health & Fitness Corner
By: LeAnne Munoz
Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Entertainment
Winter weather has officially reared its head, bringing frosty mornings and chilly afternoon breezes. This weather brings the good: curling up with a good book by a fire; and the bad: stuffy noses, coughing and sneezing.
The best way to fight off the impending doom of sickness is to catch it before it starts by building up your immune system.
Getting the correct amount of sleep could be one of the best ways to build the immune system. A study conducted by the Archives of Internal Medicine states that people in the study who slept an average of seven hours a night were three times as likely to get sick than people who slept an average of eight hours a night.
According to ImmuneSystemRemedies.com, during deep sleep, our bodies release immune-enhancing substances which strengthen the immune system. Resting when feeling under the weather also helps a person clear their mind and reduce the stress and exhaustion illness tends to bring.
WebMd.com states eating foods rich in antioxidants can help boost your immune system. According to the site, there are three major antioxidant vitamins to look for and some of the foods they are found in:
Beta-carotene -- squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, pumpkin, tangerines.
Vitamin C - grapefruit, cauliflower, kiwi, mangoes, kale, honeydew, green, red, yellow peppers, tomatoes.
Vitamin E - sunflower seeds, carrots, nuts, mangoes, papaya, spinach, pumpkin, red peppers.
According to WebMd.com, other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include zinc, which is found in oysters, whole grains, dairy products and red meat.
Selenium is also helpful in boosting the immune system, and can be found in tuna, beef and poultry.
According to whole-food-suppliments-guide.com, shitake mushrooms are another food that helps to build the immune system by increasing white blood cells.
According to womensfitness.net, it is essential to drink plenty of water to build your immune system. Drinking water helps keep body fluids flowing to the correct areas of the body, helping to keep everything working all the time. According to womensfitness.net, if the body loses more than 20 percent of its normal water content, death will occur.
Maintaining your level of stress is another way to keep your immune system high. In a July 2004 study, psychologists Suzanne Segerstrom, Ph.D., and Gregory Miller, Ph.D, found that short-term stress that invokes the "fight or flight" response can help boost the immune system, while chronic long-term stress can impair the immune system over time. Stress reducers such as meditation and relaxation techniques can help the overall maintenance of the immune system.
The best way to fight off the impending doom of sickness is to catch it before it starts by building up your immune system.
Getting the correct amount of sleep could be one of the best ways to build the immune system. A study conducted by the Archives of Internal Medicine states that people in the study who slept an average of seven hours a night were three times as likely to get sick than people who slept an average of eight hours a night.
According to ImmuneSystemRemedies.com, during deep sleep, our bodies release immune-enhancing substances which strengthen the immune system. Resting when feeling under the weather also helps a person clear their mind and reduce the stress and exhaustion illness tends to bring.
WebMd.com states eating foods rich in antioxidants can help boost your immune system. According to the site, there are three major antioxidant vitamins to look for and some of the foods they are found in:
Beta-carotene -- squash, broccoli, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, peaches, pumpkin, tangerines.
Vitamin C - grapefruit, cauliflower, kiwi, mangoes, kale, honeydew, green, red, yellow peppers, tomatoes.
Vitamin E - sunflower seeds, carrots, nuts, mangoes, papaya, spinach, pumpkin, red peppers.
According to WebMd.com, other antioxidants that may help boost immunity include zinc, which is found in oysters, whole grains, dairy products and red meat.
Selenium is also helpful in boosting the immune system, and can be found in tuna, beef and poultry.
According to whole-food-suppliments-guide.com, shitake mushrooms are another food that helps to build the immune system by increasing white blood cells.
According to womensfitness.net, it is essential to drink plenty of water to build your immune system. Drinking water helps keep body fluids flowing to the correct areas of the body, helping to keep everything working all the time. According to womensfitness.net, if the body loses more than 20 percent of its normal water content, death will occur.
Maintaining your level of stress is another way to keep your immune system high. In a July 2004 study, psychologists Suzanne Segerstrom, Ph.D., and Gregory Miller, Ph.D, found that short-term stress that invokes the "fight or flight" response can help boost the immune system, while chronic long-term stress can impair the immune system over time. Stress reducers such as meditation and relaxation techniques can help the overall maintenance of the immune system.
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