Everyone has their own way to avoid catching a cold or the flu. For many people it is using hand sanitizer and washing their hands regularly. Some people take more vitamins when people around them are sick, and some of my elders use the medicinal “hot tottie” to get rid of the chills. New research helps confirm that exercise reduces the incidence of colds by boosting the immune system.
A recent article in the American Journal of Medicine studied a group of overweight, sedentary, postmenopausal women. The women were split up into 2 groups; group 1 consisted of women who were given 45-minutes of moderate-intensity exercise to do 5 days a week, Group 2 consisted of women who were given once weekly 45-minute stretch sessions. At the end of a year it showed that the ladies who merely stretched had a 3 time greater risk of developing a common cold than the ladies who stuck with the exercise plan.
This is great news for everyone. It has long been known that athletes have a stronger immune system and are therefore less susceptible to colds and the flu. This research shows that exercise can also help people who are older or overweight.
With the flu season fast approaching, the flu vaccine is a great option for anyone with a compromised immune system. This includes the elderly and people with chronic diseases that make them more susceptible to infections. For the rest of us, some simple daily hygiene and common sense can help avoid a lot of sniffling and sneezing.
Hand washing is the first line of defense. Washing your hands for 20-30 seconds with warm water will help immensely; do this after using the restroom or before eating. Hand sanitizer is the newest option to washing our hands, and although helpful, it doesn’t get rid of dirt and germs, it merely kills the germs. This means that if you eat something with your hands after using hand sanitizer, you are eating disinfected dirt; personally, I would rather wash my hands. The second most important thing to do is to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. It has long been thought that putting something dirty in your mouth was the easiest way to get sick. In reality, our eyes have the weakest defense. With only one enzyme to fight off bacteria and viruses, our eyes provide a wet and warm environment to host microorganisms, making them happy to replicate and infect the body.
Sleep is another important part of a healthy lifestyle. Most adults require 6-9 hours of continuous sleep a day. Without this time of rest, our body does not get enough time to heal and fight off foreign articles we acquired throughout the day. Children need at least 8 hours of sleep to offset the amount off healing and growing that they are doing. Most of this happens during sleep.
Finally, a good healthy diet will give the body the nutrition it needs to fight off foreign organisms. Without vitamins and minerals, many of the enzymes and proteins in our body can not function optimally, and this will weaken our defensive immune system and lead to more chronic and recurring infections. As usual, if an infection looms too long, or doesn’t seem to be improving in a reasonable period of time, be sure to check with you doctor. In the mean time, start exercising to increase you vitality help ward off the next case of the sniffles. It is also a great way to avoid putting on those Holiday pounds from eating too much, and it will help you sleep better as well.