Staying active to strengthen your immune system
Physical activity is another source of immunity. It strengthens the immune system and maintains body functions as they should in various ways. Exercise results in physical and mental health improvements that contribute to the immune system. For example, it improves your mood and it is a useful way to relieve stress. As a result, the stress hormone cortisol is reduced. This is important because cortisol causes several changes in how the immune cells work, and impairs the capacity of your body to react against pathogens.
When you do physical activity, many things can happen at the same time in your body:
- Your breathing accelerates, and the airways are cleared from mucus and other debris. Airway clearance reduces the chance of having a respiratory disease.
- White blood cells circulate more and more rapidly in your body when you are physically active. This allows your immune system to detect and fight disease faster and more efficiently.
- When you’re doing exercise, your body temperature naturally increases. You don’t have fever, but the effects in bacteria is similar. Higher temperatures reduce the growing rate of several microorganisms.
It’s not very hard to achieve the right level of exercise for these immune benefits. You only need a minimum of 30 minutes of physical activity, 5 days a week. That includes walking around your block, doing bodyweight exercises, or simply walking up the stairs. If you can do more strenuous activity and more than the minimum, the benefits will be even more noticeable.
Surely, if you combine physical activity with a healthy diet, you will most definitely achieve a better health and better immunity. But sometimes we don’t get enough of a few nutrients, and you will find that several herbs improve your body responses in many ways. Thus, in this article we are also recommending a few supplements and herbs you can try to boost your immunity.