10 ways exercise can help support your BODY’S immune system
- Light exercise helps to promote the flow of lymph and immune cells and antibodies it carries throughout the body. The lymph vessels depends on movement or manual manipulation, like a massage, to move the Lymph along.
- Moderate exercise improves blood flow which helps to expel toxins through urine and sweat.Increased blood flow also allows antibodies and white blood cells (used to fight infection) to circulate quickly and in turn, will hopefully recognize potential threats sooner.
- Moderate exercise increases oxygen delivery throughout the body and can help to improve the body’s resistance to potential threats.
- Exercise helps to raise the body’s temperature which can help to kill or prevent the effects of potential threats.
- Scientific studies have found that there is an increase in phagocyte activity and function after exercise. This increase aids in taking harmful substances out of the bloodstream before they can travel too far into the body.
- Airborne bacteria and viruses can lead to respiratory track infections. Regular exercise can help support the lungs in removing these irritants.
- When you workout, cytokines are produced in response to muscle contraction during exercise. These cytokines “turn on” an anti-inflammatory response which can help prevent disease.
- T1 and T2 helper cells, which stimulate inflammation, are also produced by moderate exercise. This may be enough to help your body combat the a flu infection.
- A study conducted at Iowa State University found that mice that regularly ran on a treadmill during a period of three and a half months experienced flu symptoms that were less severe than those developed by mice that did not exercise. The conclusion was that repeated stress from moderate exercise may improve the body’s ability to respond to other types of stress, like those caused by the flu.
- Exercise helps relieve mental and emotional stress linked to suppressed immunity and increased illness. Exercise helps to provide an outlet for nervous energy, take our mind off things that are concerning us and improve our body image. It also reduces the release of stress-related hormones that can surpress the immune system.
Eat seasonally and your body will thank you for it!
Eating seasonally truly is good for you. There is nothing more healthier than eating vegetables and fruits that have been picked when they are ripe Just think of the array of nutrients you’ll be able to absorb from a vegetable or fruit that was picked in it’s prime. The longer picked produce sits, the quicker it begins to loose it’s vitamins and minerals. For example, fruits and veggies can lose up to 15-77% of their Vitamin C within a week.1 Spinach can actually lose up to 90% of it’s Vitamin C content within a day.2
Buying produce in season will save you money. Fresh fruits and vegetables taste amazing. You know how those baby carrots, that you bought from the Farmer’s Market, taste nothing like anything you an find in the store. Why, because they are fresh, full of nutrients and local. Eating what you love means less chance of it going bad and being wasted. Also, buying produce out of season means added costs of travel, gas costs and most likely preservatives.
Let’s not forget how buying seasonal can reduce our carbon footprint. On average, food travels about 2,500 km from farm to plate. This travelling wastes fuel, emits greenhouse gas emissions, and causes air, land and water pollution.
So time to visit your local farmer’s market and enjoy all the bountiful foods August has to offer. Enjoy! See you at the market!
SUPERFOOD TAHINI salad
INGREDIENTS:
For the Salad:
- 2 cups (200g) baby kale
- 2 handfuls micro greens
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 8 radishes, thinly sliced
For the Dressing:
- ½ lemon, juice
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 1 tsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. water
- Salt
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Cayenne
DIRECTIONS:
Make the dressing by blending all the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
For the salad, toss all of the salad ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with the tahini dressing.
Top with microgreens or your favourite seeds (optional).
