From good food to regular physical activity and deep breathing, know about the five important factors that can improve your immunity and overall health.
Sleeping well is important for your physical and mental health, and immunity
HIGHLIGHTS
- Consume a well-balanced diet
- It can help you have a healthy metabolism and strong immunity
- Sleep well and take less stress for good mental and physical health
With the entire world exposed to the threat of the novel coronavirus pandemic, humanity is caught in a seemingly existential battle against a supposed unseen enemy. Whether COVID-19 or not, strengthening our immunity is the best form of defense against assorted threats that come our way and this can be best achieved by living a healthy and well-balanced life. The question however arises how can we build a well-fortified immune system for the body? Well, it's simple if you observe a holistic and disciplined way of life on an everyday basis. Let's take a look at the five important pillars that can help us create a natural balance and create physical and mental fitness.
5 tips to boost your immunity, physical and mental health
1. Nutrition
This is one of the most pivotal factors needed to support a healthy and balanced life. The age-old maxim, 'we are what we eat' is the essential premise behind gaining our daily nutritional requirement. The food that we eat is the primary building-block towards the foundation of a well-functioning body.
It is imperative to consume the right kind of food to avoid nutritional deficiencies and inflammation. Moreover, the metabolism of the body is heavily dependent on the food we consume. We should ensure that we eat a healthy and balanced diet that contains all the necessary nutrients to sustain the natural disease-free state of the body.
Also read: Air Pollution And COVID-19: Know How This Double Burden Can Impact Your Body
2. Regular exercise and breathing
Breathing is the nucleus of all external and internal movements in the body. The harmony of breathing is the central-most factor towards attaining a disease-free state of the body. Good health is also a consequence of breathing and moving correctly both within and without. Every cell, tissue and muscle in our body moves to the tune of our breath. Therefore, the importance of balanced breathing and movement cannot be stressed enough.
Nowadays, owing to the fast-paced lifestyles and advancements in automatic technologies, people are becoming prone to sedentary routines. The lack of necessary movement and action has seemingly gripped a substantial part of the earth's population. A healthy and well-balanced lifestyle is more than making three weekly trips to the gym. We must transform our modern-day lives that are seemingly inundated with physical stagnation. It means switching to an everyday regimen that has abundant necessary movement and physical exertion does not require any other form of exercise.
Regular exercise can help you be stronger and fitter
Photo Credit: iStock
3. Sleep
Sleep is one of the central aspects of a healthy mind and a well-functioning body. It has been revealed that humans spend around 30% of their lives sleeping. We must do so as it is the body's natural state of rest. And, as much as movement is necessary, so is rest. The human body depends on a daily deep sleep pattern for a minimum of 6-8 hours to recover itself.
Sleep is important for directing various intrinsic activities like bodily restoration and recuperation, tissue repair, muscle growth, hormone synthesis, etc. Lack of it can result in increased stress levels, mood-related conditions, loss of memory, hampered performance, mental health disorders, and an overall deterioration in the Quality of Life (QoL). A balanced sleep-cycle is also essential for promoting a person's alertness-levels and involvement during the day. In a healthy and ideal state, sleeping should be as effortless as breathing and movement.
Also read: 4 Foods That Can Help In Fixing Erratic Sleep Patterns
4. Spirituality
Spirituality and religion, though practiced in diverse forms, are united with a singular belief in a higher power that lies beyond our mundane selves. Having any sort of spiritual connection lends a purpose and meaning to our daily life. The strength that is gained through spirituality and faith helps alleviate the sources of personal turmoil and despondency. These negative feelings are often seen as precursors to various diseases and chronic morbidities.
5. Community
Since the dawn of time, humans have always existed as a social species. A sense of community and belonging is of the foremost importance when it comes to living a fulfilling life. People have always flocked together as communities to preserve themselves from harm while striving towards a greater purpose. An individual imbibes essential life lessons from its peers throughout his being. While humans have emerged as constructors of immense virtually-connected civilizations, they have somewhere along the line lost that essential personal touch.
The best way to overcome this collective loss as a species and an individual is to reclaim your sense of belonging. It is important to remind oneself that we are a part of a unified whole that exists in harmony. One must start associating with like-minded people so that you always have your tribe's back.
Also read: Following A Vegan Diet? Do Not Miss These Immunity Boosters
(Mugdha Pradhan is Nutritionist and Founder, ThriveFNC)
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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