Move your body
March 10, 2021 - Keeping active is a great way to boost your immunity. What better incentive to get us off the sofa than with these five moves with Fitness & Yoga Instructor Hemant Gahlot? The hues of blue in the background are with love from Laamu!
The idea of boosting your immunity is enticing, but the ability to do so is not (yet) an exact science. That’s because the immune system is indeed a system, not a single entity. To function well, it requires balance and harmony.
However, researchers are finding a link between lifestyle and enhanced immune function. Regular exercise helps you fight off infections. Exercise increases blood flow, reduces stress and strengthens your antibodies. The World Health Organization recommends 2.5 hours of “moderate” exercise (walking) per week, or at least 20 minutes of “vigorous” exercise (enough to make you sweat) three times per week.
If you need a nudge to get started, check out these five tips, five moves and five breathing techniques from Fitness & Yoga Instructor Hemant Gahlot from Six Senses Laamu. If nothing else, enjoy the mood-boosting Maldivian backdrop!
Hemant’s top tips for boosting immunity:
1. Stay hydrated
Start your day with a glass of warm water to gradually and comfortably flush toxins out of the lymphatic system, one our body’s primary weapons against wastes and unwanted elements that invade our system. The lymphatic system has three main functions: to maintain fluid balance, to help in fat absorption, and to assist the immune system.
2. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables and healthy fats
The make-up of your gut bacteria (microbiome) is a key factor in everything from your mental health to your physical inflammation. Swapping out a burger for a probiotic can’t hurt … and the antioxidants in fruit, vegetables and legumes are the building blocks of a robust immune system.
3. Get enough sleep
Prioritizing sleep positively influences the body’s antibody response.
4. Stay on top of your stress
Uncertainty and endless lockdowns mean we have been generally more stressed, and our fight-or-flight systems have been in overdrive, increasing cortisol and adrenaline and suppressing the immune system. Yoga and meditation can really help to keep you grounded.
5. Regular exercise
Data collected from general flu shot trials reports that increasing your steps after a vaccination improves your antibody response so now is the time to follow Herman’s five simple exercises above to keep you in tip top shape this season.