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Boosting immunity: Lifestyle choices and insurance support

Did you know that incorporating practical lifestyle choices and habits can help to enhance your immune function? This is especially true when making positive changes to your diet, exercise and sleep. Even better? When you have the benefits of health insurance support, you can realize your health goals even faster. Let’s explore how pairing immune health tips and health insurance support can create the happy, healthy lifestyle you’re reaching for.

A lifestyle for immunity

Your immune system is your body’s defence against germs and illnesses. The stronger your immune system, the more likely you are to avoid a sickness or fight it off faster. The immune system is constantly changing. It’s affected by age, environment, previous illnesses and exposure. Exposure to bacteria, viruses, and microbes, or getting vaccines, teaches the body to recognize those germs and fight them off.

For example, a newborn infant has a fragile immune system since they’ve barely been exposed to germs. Their immune system is carefully built over time and with factors like proper nutrition to fight off illnesses in the future. A healthy adult who has dealt with common illnesses throughout their life will likely have a stronger immune system. However, without proper support, your immune system won’t stay robust over time. In fact, with poor lifestyle choices, it can deteriorate.

Immune health tips

You might think that if you haven’t become sick recently, your immune system is a star, and you no longer have to improve it. Wrong. It means your immune system is working exceptionally well and it must be maintained to keep those results.

The following tips can help you to continue supporting and enhancing the strength of your immune system.

Exercise

While we should exercise to some degree every day, in the ideal scenario, we’d get at least 2.5 hours of exercise every week.

If this seems like a lofty goal, don’t worry. Exercising doesn’t have to be an intense, full-body workout each time. Although it’s good to push the body sometimes to reach new milestones, know that daily exercise can be a walk, a bike ride, or a game of basketball with friends. There are exercise options for everyone no matter age or health condition.

Exercising regularly will improve circulation, mood and sleep. Exercise has a direct effect on immune regulation as it allows cells to move more freely throughout the body and reduce inflammation.

Take vitamins

If you aren’t sure where to start with vitamins, your doctor or a registered dietitian will be able to help. Some people have deficiencies in certain vitamins such as iron or vitamin D, which can be identified through blood work. By taking vitamin supplements or by focusing your diet to include certain foods, you can help restore deficiencies and keep your body healthy and running smoothly. Some of the most important vitamins for fighting sickness are vitamins C, B6 and E. The following foods can help provide these key vitamins for immune function:

Vitamin C: citrus fruits, strawberries, spinach, bell peppers and broccoli.
B6: chicken, salmon, tuna, green vegetables and chickpeas.
Vitamin E: nuts, spinach and seeds.

Eat well

As you can see from the above, you can satisfy most of your vitamin needs through a healthy diet. Before turning to supplements, try altering your diet first to include the vitamins you’re missing. Food is where your body gets all its nutrition, energy, proteins and minerals. The fibre found in fruit and vegetables helps your gut’s microbiome to produce the compounds it needs for better immune function. Plus, not only does eating whole foods and a well-rounded diet help with boosting immunity, but it also gives your body the energy to feel better while sick.

If you’re still deficient in certain vitamins, even after you’ve taken steps to enhance your diet, taking vitamin supplements can help.

Address stress

While ridding yourself of stress completely isn’t a feasible goal, most people find that taking steps to simply address it can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing. Interestingly, while stress is usually thought of as a mental wellness issue, the truth is that as we face stressors in life such as unexpected costs, injuries, or challenges, it begins affecting the body. Stress produces elevated levels of cortisol, which stops your immune system from functioning properly. Therefore, make sure to prioritize m anag ing your stress with activities you enjoy, such as yoga, hiking, meditation, painting, reading and more.

Keep hydrated

Try to drink 64 ounces of water every day. Every part of the body requires hydration to function, 24/7. Your immune system is no different. Water helps your white blood cells and other immunity cells to flow through the body and efficiently fight germs. This is why staying hydrated is so important. Because your body is likely to use water as you consume it, make sure that you’re keeping some close by and sipping on it throughout each day, every day.

Sleep well

Similarly to stress, lack of sleep also elevates cortisol levels. Sleep is always a big contributing factor to how quickly you will recover from injuries and illnesses, as during that crucial shut eye, your body is hard at work sending healing cells wherever they need to go. In general, quality sleep allows your body time to do its daily healing and regenerating, as you recover from the day and prepare for the next one.

Health insurance support

The not-so-secret key to tying this all together and getting one last boost towards the kind of lifestyle that supports optimal immune function, is using personal health insurance. Health insurance gives you the means to access preventative care such as prescription drugs, massage, chiropractic care and more. For example, a physical therapist can help you get moving with strengthening exercises for any age or ability. A visit with a counsellor could help you develop tools to address stress and navigate life’s stressors more easily. Your group benefits plan might also offer access to a dietitian to help you make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need to support your immune health.

Preventative care and coverage for other medical services contributes to supporting your health, in mind and body: and that includes your immunity too.

Boosting immunity with Saskatchewan Blue Cross

Reach your health goals, enable growth and healthy habits to be established, and get financial support by joining the Saskatchewan Blue Cross community. Find your ideal personal health insurance plan. Get a quote today.