10 Quick Ways to Boost Your Immunity Almost Immediately

Our immune system is essentially our own personal inner-military. A weak military can’t defend itself or attack its enemies very well, rendering it a doomed excuse for protection.

When your immune system is weak, your body is left vulnerable to viruses, allergies, and all the other enemies lurking all around you.

There are plenty of grueling ways you can slowly change your lifestyle to work on this – or you could try these 10 quick life hacks to improve your immunity almost immediately.

Simple Ways to Boost Your Immune System Based on Medical Studies

1. Get Enough Sleep

A sleep deprivation can have surprisingly devastating results on the production of antibodies (your body’s infantry).

It turns out that a good majority of people in a tech-saturated culture are cutting sleep breaks too short. Organize your schedule and get into a routine that fits between seven to nine hours per day.

If a hectic schedule doesn’t permit this, try finding time within the day for a few power naps. To get a better sleep, you can try these herbs, foods or natural substance.

2. Eat a Healthy Diet

Do sleep and diet sound obvious? Because these are essential aspects of living, but many people overlook importance for convenience. The abundance of sugars packed into sugary soft-drinks and processed sweets has a dulling effect on the way your immune system cells function.
If you haven’t already, get your body used to vegetables and fruits of all shapes and colours. They provide vitamins that are essential to a smooth running immune system.

3. Exercise Regularly

A regular exercise routine does much more than shape your body, it fortifies the immune system with proper blood circulation and better sleep.
It shouldn’t take long for your immunity to make clear improvements. While you’re exercising, remember to keep yourself hydrated before, during and after exercising.
This will help flush out toxins and transport the minerals and vitamins from a healthy diet. Also remain wary of the germ loaded bars, grips and machines in public gyms.

4. Proper Hygiene Habits

Sometimes the smallest care concerning hygiene can make your body vulnerable from light to devastating health issues. Stick to the basics, such as:

• Wash your hands a few times a day, especially after the bathroom
• Take regular showers
• Don’t share drinks directly with others often
• Maintain food hygiene and prepare food safely

Think of the things that make you vulnerable to germs and disease and do your best to avoid them.

5. Manage Stress Levels

Harvard Health publication mentions that stress of any kind can have negative effects on your immune levels.
Both social and physical stress that you experience delays the production of antibodies.
The sad thing is that stress can be, and often is, an unavoidable factor in many people’s lives.
The best you can do for your body is find ways to alleviate the stress, like with meditation, yoga, exercise, and new hobbies. It’s no coincidence that many people that live great past their prime are level headed.

6. Don’t Smoke

According to the medical studies, smoking presents a whole lot of harm to your body in several ways:

• It suppresses your immune system weaker and slows the defense of antibodies when you are exposed to outer threats.
• The clouds of carcinogens billowing down the esophagus rips up soft tissues, leaving you more vulnerable to an infection.
• It may be a difficult addiction to quit, but many former smokers will attest that they feel healthier than ever.

Smoking is also one of the habits to stop right now if you want to be healthy as mentioned in my earlier posts so many times.

7. Step Out of Isolation and Have a Positive Attitude

Social anxiety can lead some people to isolating themselves at every given chance from the world around them. Though the exact causes for it haven’t been pinpointed, there are several studies that can back the effectiveness of a healthy social life on the immune system.

Get out and form friendships with new people, step out of isolation, and watch your immunity remain strong.

There are studies that mention the positive effect of the sense of humor on the immune system.

Both positive attitude and maintaining social relationship with family and friends are highly beneficial.

8. Get Your Vitamin D

Studies show that without a healthy dose of vitamin D3, the body is much more vulnerable to autoimmunity and infections.

People fail to realize their vitamin intake and fall sick despite an otherwise healthy diet. You can find more information on how to increase your vitamin D levels in my previous article about the common disease caused by vitamin D deficeincy.

9. Balance Your Alcohol

When somebody consumes an excessive amount of alcohol they often don’t consider the damage they are putting their body through.
In large amounts it restricts the dispatch of immune defenses and leaves the body susceptible to harm.
If you’re old enough to drink you shouldn’t completely avoid it in fear of your health: according to the British Journal of Nutrition, a moderate amount of alcohol can actually benefit the immune system.

10. Consider Taking Probiotics

Many people associate bacteria with a potential to degrade health. Probiotics are a healthy type of bacteria that help the digestive system, immune repair, and immune defense. They keep the bad bacteria from proliferating and ensure a healthier lifestyle.

According to medical studies, foods like yogurt, miso, apple cider vinegar and kefir have good probiotics that can boost your health. But you can also purchase a high dose probiotic supplement that will give your body an ample dose of good bacteria.

Building your internal army isn’t very difficult. Once you’ve picked up on the right habits, your body will settle into a groove that is difficult to lose. Consider these immunity hacks for a happier and healthier life.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

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10 Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism (Backed by Science)

Metabolism is a term that describes all the chemical reactions in your body.

These chemical reactions keep your body alive and functioning.

However, the word metabolism is often used interchangeably with metabolic rate, or the number of calories you burn.

The higher it is, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off.

Having a high metabolism can also give you energy and make you feel better.

Here are 10 easy ways to increase your metabolism.
1. Eat Plenty of Protein at Every Meal

Eating food can increase your metabolism for a few hours.

This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It's caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal.

Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats .

Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating .

One small study found that people were likely to eat around 441 fewer calories per day when protein made up 30% of their diet .

Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat. This is because it reduces muscle loss, which is a common side effect of dieting .

    Summary
    Eating more protein can boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories. It can also help you eat less.

2. Drink More Cold Water

People who drink water instead of sugary drinks are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off .

This is because sugary drinks contain calories, so replacing them with water automatically reduces your calorie intake.

However, drinking water may also temporarily speed up your metabolism .

Studies have shown that drinking 17 ounces (0.5 liters) of water increases resting metabolism by 10–30% for about an hour .

This calorie-burning effect may be even greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy to heat it up to body temperature.

Water can also help fill you up. Studies show that drinking water a half an hour before you eat can help you eat less .

One study of overweight adults found that those who drank half a liter of water before their meals lost 44% more weight than those who didn't .

    Summary
    Water can help you lose weight and keep it off. It increases your metabolism and helps fill you up before meals.

3. Do a High-Intensity Workout

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick and very intense bursts of activity.

It can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after your workout has finished .

This effect is believed to be greater for HIIT than for other types of exercise. What's more, HIIT has also been shown to help you burn fat .

One study in overweight young men found that 12 weeks of high-intensity exercise reduced fat mass by 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and belly fat by 17% .

    Summary
    Mixing up your exercise routine, and adding in a few high-intensity workouts, can boost your metabolism and help you burn fat.

4. Lift Heavy Things

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, and building muscle can help increase your metabolism 
This means you will burn more calories each day, even at rest .

Lifting weights will also help you retain muscle and combat the drop in metabolism that can occur during weight loss .

In one study, 48 overweight women were placed on a diet of 800 calories per day, along with either no exercise, aerobic exercise or resistance training .

After the diet, the women who did the resistance training maintained their muscle mass, metabolism and strength. The others lost weight, but also lost muscle mass and experienced a decrease in metabolism .

You can find weights to incorporate into your workout online.

    Summary
    Lifting weights is important for building and retaining muscle. Higher amounts of muscle will result in a higher metabolism.

5. Stand up More

Sitting too much is bad for your health .

Some health commentators have even dubbed it "the new smoking." This is partly because long periods of sitting burn fewer calories and can lead to weight gain .

In fact, compared to sitting, an afternoon of standing up at work can burn an extra 174 calories .

If you have a desk job, try standing up for short periods to break up the length of time you spend sitting down. You can also invest in a standing desk .

    Summary
    Sitting for a long time burns few calories and is bad for your health. Try to stand up regularly or invest in a standing desk.

6. Drink Green Tea or Oolong Tea

Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5% .

These teas help convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may increase fat burning by 10–17% .

As they are low in calories, drinking these teas may be good for both weight loss and weight maintenance.

It's thought their metabolism-boosting properties may help prevent the dreaded weight loss plateau that occurs due to a decrease in metabolism.

However, some studies find that these teas do not affect metabolism. Therefore, their effect may be small or only apply to some people .

    Summary
    Drinking green tea or oolong tea may increase your metabolism. These teas may also help you lose weight and keep it off.

7. Eat Spicy Foods

Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism .

However, many people can't tolerate these spices at the doses required to have a significant effect .

One study of capsaicin, at acceptable doses, predicted that eating peppers would burn around 10 additional calories per meal. Over 6.5 years, this could account for 1 pound (0.5 kg) of weight loss for an average-weight male .

Alone, the effects of adding spices to your food may be quite small. However, it may lead to a slight advantage when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies .

    Summary
    Eating spicy food could be beneficial for boosting your metabolism and help you maintain a healthy weight.

8. Get a Good Night's Sleep

Lack of sleep is linked to a major increase in the risk of obesity .

This may partly be caused by the negative effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism .

Lack of sleep has also been linked to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, which are both linked to a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes .

It's also been shown to boost the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the fullness hormone leptin .

This could explain why many people who are sleep-deprived feel hungry and struggle to lose weight.

    Summary
    Lack of sleep can decrease the number of calories you burn, change the way you process sugar and disrupt your appetite-regulating hormones.

9. Drink Coffee

Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%. Like green tea, it also promotes fat burning .

However, this seems to affect lean people more. In one study, coffee increased fat burning by 29% for lean women, but only 10% for obese women.

Coffee's effects on metabolism and fat burning may also contribute to successful weight loss and maintenance .

    Summary
    Drinking coffee can significantly increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.

10. Replace Cooking Fats With Coconut Oil

Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil is relatively high in medium-chain fats.

Medium-chain fats can increase your metabolism more than the long-chain fats found in foods like butter .

In one study, researchers found that medium-chain fats increased metabolism by 12% compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%.

Due to the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, replacing some of your other cooking fats with it may have modest benefits for weight loss .

    Summary
    Replacing other cooking fats with coconut oil may help boost your metabolism slightly.

The Bottom Line

Making small lifestyle changes and incorporating these tips into your routine can increase your metabolism.

Having a higher metabolism can help you lose weight and keep it off, while also giving you more energy.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement 

8 Dead Simple, Science-Backed Ways To Improve Memory and Rid Brain Fog

Irrespective of age, often, we go to a place to pick something, then forget as to why we went there. I'm sure this has happened to many of you out there. But such incidents aren't always associated with memory loss.But concern may arise when they interfere with most of our daily activity. Unfortunately, we now live in a world where our attention span is less than a goldfish, but if a walk in the park or a vacation doesn’t seem to help your memory or focus, or people close to you begin to notice your inconsistencies, then consider speaking with your doctor to discern all potential causes.

The Causes of Brain Fog

Brain fog is not a medical term, though usually interpreted as forgetfulness, confusion, lack of mental clarity, and lack of focus, and may be due to a single or any combination of issues such as  hormonal imbalances, stress, poor diet, gut issues, blood sugar dysregulation, insomnia, thyroid issues, mood disorders, fatigue, medication, pregnancy, autoimmune diseases, and dementia, to name a few. 

Your knowledgeable healthcare professional will ask questions to help rule in or rule out certain conditions, may perform physical exams as appropriate, and potentially order certain blood work, imaging, or perhaps additional tests that may not be covered by insurance. A diagnosis certainly helps guide a treatment plan (then it addresses the cause of concern), however, regardless of the results there are many lifestyles and natural approaches that can improve function as well as overall health.

How To Prevent Brain Fog – Lifestyle Changes

New neuronal connections and ‘rewiring’ the brain is important for us both as a species, and throughout our daily life in order, to adapt to new scenarios. To strengthen these connections on a regular basis, ensure that you are, being social, and seek to play more brain games, switch up your routine (e.g. brushing your teeth with the opposite hand), and continuously learn new skills and knowledge to foster these attachments. 

Exercise (especially aerobic from walking to running) is also incredibly important in enhanced learning due to new hippocampal connections (responsible for learning and memory), as well as being able to help address post-stroke rehabilitation, stress, and depression. Consider working with a fitness professional if you’re starting a brand new regimen, or interested in increasing your fitness goals.

Sleep is critical to overall health as it helps solidify those new neuronal connections, encoding information, and memory, in addition to melatonin being our most potent endogenous (we make it ourselves) antioxidant. We can get the most value once asleep around 10/10:30 pm, as it’s made between 11pm-3am. It also varies inversely with cortisol, our stress hormone, which can actually impair memory formation. Outside our body, our potential constant exposure to environmental toxins such as like heavy metals and fragrance in our beauty and cleaning products can be an additional obstacle to overcome in achieving mental clarity.

How To Prevent Brain Fog – Dietary Changes

Nutritionally, decreasing sugar consumption (especially artificial sweeteners, as they have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease- also known as Type 3 Diabetes) is the most important step. This also includes simple carbohydrates (especially those from white flour), and alcohol as these two get metabolized quickly to turn into sugar and promote inflammation.

In addition to cutting back sugar, opt for  more Mediterranean based diet by increasing consumption of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens and cruciferous, as well as healthy fats (most of our brain is comprised of fat) like olive oil, fish (wild caught is best), avocado, and coconut oil; this can both preserve and boost brain function. 

Lastly, consider an elimination diet, diet diary, testing, or any other method that can also rule out a potential food allergy, sensitivity or intolerance  (e.g. gluten intolerance can commonly lead to ‘brain fog’). Poor gut health can affect absorption of important vitamins and minerals that not only affect brain health but overall health as well. Furthermore, the gut is now touted as the second brain, making the same neurotransmitters as our brain and uses the vagus nerve to ‘talk to’ the brain in what we need. There are strong links between our gut integrity and brain function .

How To Prevent Brain Fog – Therapeutic Supplements

Supplements are meant to supplement, not replace an unhealthy lifestyle, so as these changes are being implemented, it can be helpful to add in these brain boosting nutrients for extra support. Vinpocetine, for example, can help improve memory and concentration by increasing blood flow to the brain, uptake of glucose to neurons, and increase levels of the acetylcholine neurotransmitter, which is especially important to regions related to memory.
Vitamins C & E are potent antioxidants and studied to also have beneficial effects on memory (especially E) as the brain is a vulnerable organ to aging and oxidative stress. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is also noted to support cellular production and cognitive benefits especially as it can cross the blood brain barrier (participates in energy production within the brain). Additional therapeutics include CoQ10 (involved in cellular energy), alpha lipoic acid (great antioxidant, good for cell membranes), and fish oil (especially DHA).

Brain Fog – The Bottom Line

To recap:

1. Stay social
2. Switch up your routine
3. Keep learning
4. Exercise
5. Sleep well
6. Swap sugar, carbs, and alcohol for healthy fats
7. Test for food sensitivities
8. consider supplements

The majority of conditions in current times have multiple risk factors and reasons for developing, so while a single supplement or pharmaceutical may help, it’s imperative to discern and treat the reason why dis-ease is present not only for relief but for prevention. Before beginning any therapies, best to discuss with your knowledgeable health care professional who is also aware of potential herb/drug/nutrient interaction, and quality of potential supplements. Fortunately, many of the strategies used to strengthen brain health can also cross over to enhancing overall health.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com