By Dr.Shreyash Gujrathi.
In the year 2020, no one ever thought that weapons will be the last thing that a man needs for survival or facing global crisis. All of us have always imagined world end as world war 3, or a major tsunami. It turns out to be, Immunity is what we as humans need the most today. And to top it up, the situation today is that we have to self-lockdown ourselves and still make sure that we are safe and non-infected.
Fortunately, in India the pandemic is still in much control and comparatively at a nascent stage, thanks to the early decision of quarantine and social distancing. Amidst all this, you in a lockdown mode must understand increasing immunity is the real deal, as this virus is mild when it comes to its initial symptoms, but it is definitely aggressive as far as its speed of transmission is concerned.
Daily timetable and line of activities and every little thing you put in your mouth, now. Counts!
Self-quarantine with Self-control – Sugars, especially processed sugars and processed food items, which are packed, are very low in nutritive value, and high in bad cholesterols. These are exactly the food stuffs that we are tempted to eat while we are in our comfort zone. Also, unnecessary binge eating with lack of enough physical activities are an Immunity lowering combination.
There are no surrogates for exercise–Exercising has endless benefits, mentioning all of those is beyond the scope of this article. Keeping yourself active during lockdown is will boost your BMR [basal metabolic rate] which in turn burns your body fat, keeps you more active, fresh and helps your system fight infections.
Too much is not good, too less is useless – there are also people who go to the other extreme, who totally stop eating. An empty stomach is a easy access to bacteria and viruses. Make sure that you not only do portion control, but also keep meals at regular planned intervals.
Hydration – Dry mucosal lining of your mouth and intestine as also an easy access to infections. Drinking at least 4 to 5 liters of water, preferably warm water, washes off throat infections and intestinal infestations.
Smile – The moment you unlock your phone and visit any of the social media apps, the first thing that pops up is the count of people who are dying, or have died. This has a subconscious impact on your minds and this definitely instigates fear. Fear reduces your immunity in the long run. I am not saying, don’t update yourselves with the latest news, all I want to say is remain aware that “even this will pass away” and that to soon!
Dr.Shreyash Gujrathi is a Senior Exercise Science Professor, at Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute.
