It’s that time of the year again.
As the temperature plummet our bodies become more susceptible to colds and viruses.
What makes this the season for colds and flu’s?
What really lowers our immune function and makes us call-in-sick?
Turning up at the office with a mask, latex gloves and bottles of sanitizer might help but no matter how protective you are, you will one-way or another, get exposed. But, keeping your immune system in check throughout winter will allow you to take off that mask and breathe the fresh crisp air with a smile.
How do we do this?
Your immune system fights off microorganisms that could make you sick. In fact, it does this every day, all day long! With every breath you inhale millions of airborne microorganisms, some of which can be nasty to your body. Your immune system identifies these ‘enemies’ and puts them to the sword!
But why does it sometimes fail?
While it is true that what you eat can’t destroy the bugs floating around in the air, good nutrition, exercise and rest can help boost your immune system to help your body in combat and recovery.
One of the main reasons we start to get the sniffles during winter is because we cease up on the exercise. Notice you are driving down to the store instead of taking the usual 5 min stroll because it is wet and cold? An American study showed people who have regular brisk walk compared to people who stay inactive take half the amount of sick days. Physical activity also helps to keep your white blood cells in circulation. See this interesting article.
Evidence shows that by increasing your body’s feel-good chemicals can help you sleep better. The endorphin rush you get after an intense workout session will not only help your immune system run smoothly, it will help you have a sounder sleep – a big factor in staying healthy.
Now, before you go out and run a marathon based on all this good talk of exercise, hold your horses!
As with most things in life, too much exercise can also be very harmful and set you right back to a weaker immune system. It is important to get the right amount of exercise that is challenging enough to increase strength and fitness but doesn’t run the risk of overtraining your body and increase your chances of getting an infection due to a weakened immune system.
At 101 Fitness we can help with the correct fitness challenge. We offer a temperature controlled private room (which also gets disinfected after every person) to help prevent the spread of germs. Our workouts are a short-n-sharp 25 minutes to give you the maximum benefit. This can help you fight colds and keep your body in shape for summer.