“Stay home, stay safe,” is the mantra of this year. The COVID pandemic with a second lockdown has confined us all within our homes and created a level of uncertainty we are not used to.
However, no matter how out of control this all feels we all have it within our power to be as healthy as possible and to strengthen our immune system through our own lifestyle choices.
It’s never too late to start improving your health and we are here to help you do just that!
Starting with the COVID immune support, here are some essential things to consider in order to prevent the exposure of the virus.
Pre-COVID Support:
A strong immune system can only be a good thing. These are some of our recommendations you can take with prevention and protection in mind.
– The General Guidelines:
Practice good hand washing hygiene, maintain social distancing, and wear a mask outside your home.
– Exercise:
You can support your immune system with the help of moderate-level physical activity and exercises. If your current exercise levels are nil then start with a daily walk in the fresh air, building to perhaps adding in a session a week of strength training and some form of cardio. Whatever you try, make sure it’s something you enjoy and find enjoyable, this is the key to long term success. There are plenty of at-home exercises you can do and if you are looking for extra help and motivation there is much inspiration on youtube with videos from HIIT to yoga and more.
– Dietary Modifications:
A highly nutritious and varied diet, made from scratch where possible, is the basis of the diet we suggest. A balance of quality complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats will aid your body, consuming a variety of all these food groups will ensure that you are taking all vitamins and minerals you need through your diet. Getting good doses of immune boosting foods such as citrus fruits, dark leafy green veg, red bell peppers, garlic and ginger is also a good place to start. Omitting the main offenders of ill health such as refined sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol and caffeine will also give your body the chance to heal and rebalance. A healthy diet is an essential part of building a strong immune system.
– Stress Management:
Stress management is more important than we often realise as our modern day lives get busier and more hectic. We can become used to high levels of stress but it doesn’t mean it isn’t taking its toll on our body. When your body is in a stressed state it is using vital resources that prevent the body from working properly. Some of the best stress management techniques include practicing deep breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. Deep breathing exercise increases lymph flow that contains white blood cells, which are the most important part of the immune system. These cells enable our immunity to fight against all infections and protect our body systems.
Post-Viral Fatigue
Despite knowing that the Coronavirus can be fatal, we can’t deny the fact that millions of patients have recovered from this virus globally. If you are one of them, you might be feeling the unwanted effects of having gone through ‒ even after recovering from the virus attack.
Don’t worry; you are not getting a re-infection or something! It is just the Post-Viral fatigue that is triggering all these symptoms.
What Is Post-Viral Fatigue?
Post-viral fatigue is a long-term state of chronic fatigue that continues even after you have been recovered from the infection. It is your body’s natural response mechanism against fighting an infection. After-infection fatigue generally goes away within a few days, but if it is persistent, then it’s a high chance that it is becoming Post-Viral Fatigue. It usually occurs when the exhaustion that starts with a viral infection stays for a much extended period. It can be severe and devastating while hindering your return to daily life activities.
In Covid-19 cases, this post-viral fatigue is referred to as “Post COVID-19 Syndrome” or “Long COVID”. It is characterized by neuro-immune exhaustion or persistent fatigue, suffered after any sort of physical exertion.
Post-COVID Support:
There are several things that you can do in order to recover from lethargy after the viral attack.
– Changing Your Diet to a Healthier One:
- Eat a well-balanced diet.
- Pre plan your food to stay on track
- Include healthy protein-rich foods containing all the essential amino acids such as tofu, beans, lentils, lean meat, fish, poultry, yogurt, milk, and cheese.
- Moreover, make sure that your diet contains Vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, and broccoli) that has several antibodies against viruses and bacteria.
- Vitamin D (Salmon, mushrooms, egg yolks) has the ability to fight off infections.
- Vitamin A (carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach) help to regulate your immune system.
- Vitamin E (nuts and peanut butter) is an antioxidant that repairs cell damage induced by free radicals.
- Zinc (meat, shellfish, and legumes) not only works as an antioxidant but also helps regulate metabolism.
– Restorative Sleep:
Quality, restorative sleep can do wonders for your health. We recommend at least 8 hours of quality sleep a night to allow your body to fully recover and better support you on your journey to recovery. To allow this to happen try reducing evening screen time and your exposure to blue light late at night and keeping your caffeine intake to a minimum especially after midday.
What Can Be Done?
As functional medicine professionals, we are exceptionally qualified to provide you with an effective and personalized diet and lifestyle modification suggestions. These recommendations can not only reduce your chances of getting an infection but also help you in increasing immunity in case you are exposed.
This COVID pandemic is proving to be very disturbing for many people. We hope that you will take it easy on yourself, prosper and enjoy while following all the right precautions.