5 Science-Backed Immunity Boosters That Cost $0
Experience tangible changes in a matter of days.
You’ve heard of superfoods and how they’re great for your heart. You’ve also heard of foods that boost your metabolism. But for better immunity, you don’t necessarily need foods or practices, it’s the simple things that help.
You see, to be healthy is the most natural state of humans.
We aren’t meant to live with modern-day diseases which have come from eating over-processed food or habits such as engaging your one sense on Netflix and another two on food.
I can count on my fingers the number of time I’ve fallen sick in the last five years. Before I jinx that, let's dive straight into these simple practices that can boost your immune system.
1. Your Natural Toolkit to Fight Diseases
According to science, deep breathing helps you
- Lower cortisol levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve autonomic response to physical and mental stress
- Improve arterial blood flow
These are powerful tools to fight off diseases.
If you can just take 5 deep breaths every hour, you’ll also feel less anxious and stressed.
2. Think Again and Think Often
According to research published in Psychology and Aging, people who focussed on positive information had stronger immune systems.
Negative thinking can manifest in your body and lead to illnesses and diseases. Reversing this also means that thinking good thoughts does good to your body.
You can do this by
- Affirmations
- Awareness
Affirmations are positive sentences spoken that help you develop self-esteem, focus, improve your drive towards your goals and emit love and good energy.
Awareness means taking a few seconds off once in a while to check on your thoughts. Are you thinking ill or somebody or yourself? Is your mind filled with negative thoughts? If yes, recognise and come to the present.
I do my affirmations in the morning and a ‘thought check’ every other hour to come back to the present and think happy thoughts if I’m overthinking negatively.
3. Back to the Ancient Science
A few minutes of yoga each day can significantly improve mental and physical health.
It also helps you improve your posture, and an improved posture with an erect spine and open chest impacts you emotionally by making you feel happier and more confident.
Yoga has twists and turns which are good for your digestion and your organs.
I’ve been practising yoga for 15 months and I’m yet to see an aspect of health where yoga didn’t impact me.
4. “Thank You!”
Practising gratitude consciously can make you happier and calm your nervous system.
Often, our daily activities stress us out and worry us. We also live in a world where we’re constantly seeing what others are up to, making us feel a lack in our own lives.
This can lead you to feel sad and anxious, which harms the immune system.
Practising gratitude by writing 5–10 things you’re grateful for or just practising it along the course of the day can help you with this.
I have been writing a gratitude journal for five years and it’s helped me become an optimistic and happier person.
5. Improve Your Life with This
Studies say that people with poor quality sleep are more likely to fall sick.
8 hours of sleep is essential for your body to recover and replenish. Anything lesser could make you feel is okay but science has proven that adults need 8 hours of sleep to reach their optimum functioning.
Scientist Matthew Walker in his book Why We Sleep says,
“The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life. The leading causes of disease and death in developed nations — diseases that are crippling health-care systems, such as heart disease, obesity, dementia, diabetes, and cancer — all have recognized causal links to a lack of sleep.”
So, remove any obstructions between your relationship with sleep because sleeping well is your road to improved health.
Takeaways
As a human, it's your most natural state to be healthy and thrive with good immunity.
Here’s what you can do to boost your immunity:
- Breathe deeply
- Think positively
- Do yoga
- Practice gratitude
- Sleep well
I wish you all the health and happiness!
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