While feeling sick happens to everyone, putting your fitness training on pause can be a real life-disruptor. It’s common to lose motivation or feel like your fitness level is plummeting, making it hard to bounce back. Athletes are at the highest risk due to training in mixed weather conditions, frequent travel, & putting physical & mental stress on the body. Supporting your life with a healthy diet should be part of your daily routine, & no longer will you have to worry about long-term setbacks.
LOWER INFLAMMATION
Inflammation can help us grow stronger from work-outs, but chronic inflammation negatively affects health. It can greatly reduce the strength of your immune system, so it’s important to eat foods that have anti-inflammatory effects on the body. Try eating minimally or unprocessed whole foods & fruits, and eat less of poor quality meat, dairy, or refined sugars.
SUPERFOOD
Superfood is a buzzword most grocery stores take for granted, but foods labeled ‘super’ tend to be those loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that fight off free radicals or also known as ‘toxins’, and they help keep bodies performing optimally. You should aim for eating berries, beets, goji, seeds, dark greens like asparagus, dark chocolate, herbs & other plant foods daily.
GET YOUR VITAMINS & MINERALS
Obtaining vitamins like Vitamin C through diet is fairly easy, as the compound is found in citrus fruits, bell peppers, papaya & broccoli. Vitamin D is another crucial vitamin vital to immunity. Although much harder to obtain through diet, you can always supplement with it. Vitamin D can be found in egg yolk, fatty fish, dairy, & fortified foods. Minerals like copper & zinc also are crucial vitamins for immunity that are found in shellfish.
SUPPLEMENTS
Relying on a high-quality diverse diet is the best way to prep your body for good health, but many people have a difficult time getting the nutrients they need through food alone. Taking a daily supplement is an easy way to make sure your body has the vitamins & minerals it needs. Supplements that are great for your immune system include echinacea, cordyceps, reishi, zinc, vitamin d, vitamin c, elderberry, astragalus root, l-lysine, & grape seed extract.
