Look after yourself

 

If you feel a sniffle or an itch in your throat coming along, your immune system might be down and in need of a boost. Here are great ways to give your immune system the boost that it needs.

How to boost your immune system

1. Determine the cause of your immune crash

2. Reduce stress

3. Get more rest

4. Eat healthy

5. Try a natural immune booster

Give your body its strength back.

1) Determine what is hampering your immune system

If you’re feeling a little vulnerable at the moment, it could be because of something that you are going through.

Are you facing a stressful situation at work? Try doing things that will relax and de-stress you.

Have you had one or two too many late nights? Have a few early nights to even out the balance.

There could also be a few things that you do every day that negatively affects your immune system. If you get sick regularly, it could be because of substances like cigarette smoke, alcohol or medication.

You might have been eating too much junk food or consuming too much sugar lately.

Have you been depriving yourself from natural sunlight? Are you deficient in a specific nutrient?

Lack of exercise also causes your immune system to crash.

Clean up unhealthy things.

2) Reduce stress

Too much stress will negatively affect your entire body, from muscle tissue to your immune system.

There are two main types of stress: mental stress and physical stress.

Mental stress

Mental stress releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is good in small quantities because it primes your body for increased energy output.

Our cortisol levels are supposed to be the highest in the morning when we wake up and slowly taper off throughout the day until we go to bed in the evening.

Low cortisol levels lead to a decrease in energy levels. Too much cortisol from too much stress, though, can also wreak havoc on your body.

When you are stressed, your body cannot recover as efficiently because it is preparing for ‘fight or flight’.

If you are stressed out almost all of the time, your body uses less energy to heal itself. If mental stress is getting you down, use coping mechanisms like thinking about the stressful situation in a positive way.

Positivity reduces the amount of stress you will feel when doing a specific task. This will lower cortisol levels over time.

Make sure that you spend time doing something that you really enjoy like reading a book or catching up on a good TV series.

Relaxing and enjoyable activities reduce cortisol levels, speed up healing and boost your overall health.

Make time to relax.

Physical stress

Physical stress can also damage your immune system.

Exercise is really good for your health; but too much exercise, referred to as overtraining, can wear the body out at a faster rate than what it can recover from.

Increased frequency of colds and flu is actually one of the first signs that athletes are pushing their bodies too far.

This can lead to adrenal fatigue, muscle and energy loss, sleep problems (some people will crave sleep all the time, while others won’t be able to sleep at all) and decreased immune function.

If too much exercise is hampering your immune system, take a few days off and let your body recover.

I give myself a healthy rest week every two months or so to let my body recover fully.

When you get back to your normal exercise routine, you’ll see how much rest you actually needed because your physical performance will increase.

Lack of exercise can also lead to physical stress, because our bodies were made to move around regularly. Prolonged sitting times are linked to an increase in all diseases.

Staying in one position for too long will limit blood circulation.

If you sit too much at work, try taking a stroll every few minutes. The improved blood circulation and quick mental break will reduce mental stress while giving your overall moral a boost.

Taking brisk walks during your office job can actually increase your work output.

Take breaks.

3) Get more rest

Our bodies naturally go through cycles of activity and recovery.

If the balance swings too much in one direction, our health suffers.

Too much activity is as dangerous as too little. If you spend more time racing to complete the next task than you do relaxing and enjoying something, your body compensates by decreasing health.

Get some extra sleep for a few days to let your body catch up with your busy schedule. Make some time to power down and enjoy the moment that you are in right now.

If you can enjoy at least one thing every day, your day not been wasted.

When was the last time that you did something that you really enjoyed? Think about a hobby or time spent with your friends and family.

When was the last time that you got a full night's sleep?

These things are not optional. Your life depends on them. Happiness and health and heavily intertwined.

Make time for happiness.

4) Eat healthy

Over 70% of your immune system is in your gut. 

Once you correct the balance between activity and recovery, you need to make sure that your body has the right nutrients to replenish and heal itself.

Good protein sources will help to rebuild muscle, bone, nerve, and brain and organ tissue. A healthy combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats will give your body the building blocks that it needs to replenish its energy stores.

Make sure to include lots of fruit and vegetables in your daily diet. They are packed with micro nutrients that we need like vitamins, minerals, phyto-nutrients, trace elements, fiber and anti-oxidants.

Try to eat at least 5 different servings of fruit or veg every day. If 5 servings is too much for you to handle right now, eat as many as you can and build up slowly towards your 5-a-day goal.

It is better to have an apple and a banana today instead of nothing because the idea of 5 whole fruit and veg intimidates you.

Maintain gut health.

5) Try an immune booster

Green tea

A hot cup of green tea with a squeeze of lemon juice can do wonders for your immune system.

The antioxidants in green tea will regenerate your body on a cellular level while the amino acid, L-theanine, will protect the mind by helping it to relax.

If stress is disturbing your immune system, L-theanine will ease its effects.

Green tea is anti-bacterial – and so is lemon juice. This can help fight against the germs that are building up in your throat.

Glutamine

Glutamine is one of my favorite amino acids.

It is one of my top ways to speed up recovery when I actually get sick. 

Exercise and stress decreases our natural glutamine levels. Supplementing with it helps the body to speed up recovery.

Glutamine can also increase sleep quality because it increases the levels of the neurotransmitter GABBA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).

GABBA is needed to relax and have a good night’s sleep. You can find this supplement at health or supplement stores.

A good multi vitamin

A good multi-vitamin can help you to make sure that you are getting the micro nutrients that your body needs.

Although supplements should never replace a healthy diet, a multi-vitamin can help you to make sure that your body gets all the right vitamins.

Choose natural remedies when you can.

By cutting out unhealthy habits, reducing physical and mental stress, prioritizing rest and eating a healthy diet; you will give your immune system the raw materials that it needs to recover.

Remember to also replenish fluids by drinking enough water and make time to enjoy your everyday life. Stay Strong!

Rest time between sets

The truth is that different rest times can all build muscle. The best time between sets is probably the rest time you haven't been doing, because changing something as simple as rest times can shock your muscle into further growth.

The benefits of longer rest times between sets

If you typically rest for shorter periods (less than a minute) between sets, here is a list of reasons why resting a little longer might increase muscle growth.

Increased strength

Longer rest periods give your muscles more time to rest and recover, immediately increasing the amount of weight they can move and decreasing the rate at which they fail from set to set. Since more weight is moved and total time under tension (the total time the muscle is contracted against a weight) is increased, the muscle will receive more stimuli.

Less energy tax, more muscle tax

By resting more, your energy production systems are used less. This gives the body more resources and more energy to spend on building muscle tissue. More energy can be spent on generating power and building muscle, with less calories being spent on restoring cardio-vascular channels and refilling glycogen systems.

Great for bulking

As in the point above, more calories can be spent on muscle tissue instead of energy recovery. Also, glycogen levels within the muscle won't be drained as quickly as they are during shorter rest periods.

Less stress on the central nervous system

Since greater resting times will stress energy systems less and focus more on muscle tissue, the central nervous system will receive less stress. This means that you will be able to train more and be at less risk of over training. 

Keeping clear of a catabolic state

When the body is put under physical stress it releases cortisol, a stress hormone that holds onto fat cells and breaks down muscle tissue as a survival mechanism. The body does this because when it is stressed it thinks that its survival is at stake so it will rather break down muscle (which is more easily broken down than fat) to get quicker energy to get out of the alleged situation of danger as quick as possible. This is called a catabolic state, when the body breaks down muscle to feed itself. It is often advised not to train for longer than 90 minutes because longer training periods can put the body into this state. Since resting for longer periods does not stress the energy and central nervous systems as much as shorter periods, you will be able to train for much longer periods of time before the body will start breaking down muscle.

I like to take longer resting periods when I have more time I can spend in the gym and want to focus more on increasing the amount of weight my muscles can handle.

The benefits of shorter rest times between sets 

Having shorter rest periods have their benefits too. Here is a list of reasons why you should balance your programs out with shorter rest times as well:

Burns more calories

By taking shorter rest breaks, you are involving the cardio-vascular and energy systems during your weight training session as well. This means that more calories are burnt. This makes shorter rest periods a great strategy for a fat burning session (and therefore, a cutting routine).

Greater glycogen stores equal greater size

Shorter rest periods drain glycogen stores quicker than longer rest periods. The body will adapt to this by increasing the amount of glycogen stored in muscle fibers. The more glycogen stored in a muscle, the greater its size.

Increased metabolic rate

Since your energy systems are stimulated more, the body will adapt by increasing its metabolic rate. This will increase the rate at which the body burns fat for energy naturally, but also increase the rate at which muscle recovery takes place.

More damage, less time

Shorter rest times allow you to destroy your muscle in a quicker amount of time than longer repetitions. When you have limited time in the gym, this will make you more efficient at fully stimulating muscle growth in the shortest possible time.

So there you have it: both longer AND shorter resting times between sets can be beneficial to muscle growth. If you typically train using the one style, try mixing it up to shock your muscle into further growth. STAY STRONG!

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The Perfect Rest Day

Regular rest is important to maximize muscle growth. It prevents over training, gives your body a chance to grow and adapt to the stimulus you have put on it and ‘catch its breath’ so to speak. It also makes sure that your central nervous system and immune don’t fall behind. Most of us don’t like rest days, but they can be a good mental break to come back in full force. Additionally there are things you can do on your rest day that will help your body recover to its maximum potential.

Here is a list of things you can do on your rest day:

          Total Rest

Total rest is good for the body to recuperate. It gives your muscles the time to recover on a deeper level, refill their glycogen stores and grow in strength without rushing to recover before being worked again. Most workout splits work a certain muscle once or twice a week so that they can recover before their next session, but their recovery is sometimes limited because even though they are not being put under a physical stress, they end up competing with the other muscles that are working in the other sessions for nutrients. The body can only do so much at a single time, and occasional rest days that involve complete rest with any stimulus allows it to focus more of its resources on rest and growth instead of performing at the same time.

          Replacement

Those who are really dedicated to the iron often feel lost during the time that they would be pumping things up. It is also possible to also feel depressed because you don’t feel the endorphin release that exercise brings. Others even feel guilty for not pushing their bodies to the limit all the time. This can make some hate rest days, but some use this extra time as an opportunity to do things that they don’t usually have time for or don’t think about doing. These things can include taking a walk, going for a swim, spending time with family and friends, watching a good movie, cleaning out the house or eating at a fancy restaurant.

          Steam Room

The steam room is a favorite among those on rest days because they have an excuse to go to the gym (force of habit) even though they are not working out. The steam room also compliments rest and recovery because of sweating that helps remove toxins and waste products. Additionally, the increased blood flow from the heat and widened blood vessels increases the availability of nutrients to muscle for optimum growth.

          Stretching

Stretching is also a good option because it elongates the muscles, increases blood flow and relaxes them. The benefits that stretching provide not only help to get the most out of rest days, but offer additional benefits like improved range of motion and flexibility and decreased injury risk.

          Light Cardio

Light cardio is a popular form of rest (often called active rest) because it allows people to still exercise when they are ‘resting’ from their prioritized form of exercise. Light cardio can benefit rest and recovery because it increases blood flow, which will help take away toxin and waste products from recovering muscle and at the same time increase the rate at which required nutrients are delivered to these muscles. Cardio at a higher intensity or for a prolonged period of time, however, can actually inhibit muscle growth because this could cause the body to redirect resources (energy and nutrients) from muscle to cope with the new stress placed on it.

These things can help to maximize your rest days. It is best to try a combination of these. For example, doing light cardio on some rest days will contribute to a balanced health and fit body, but rest days with complete rest (no exercise) are also necessary for the body to dedicate all of its resources to growth and development alone. STAY STRONG!

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