LA fitness news

Exercising the Immune System

January 29th, 2010

Freezing temperatures outside plus ramped up central heating inside equals bug heaven. In order to fight off the havoc that said bugs can create with your body, your immune system needs to be on it’s “A” Game.

This is where regular moderate exercise and stress management play an important role. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) active people reduce their sick time by at least 25% - 50%. Here’s how: Exercise causes you to breathe more deeply which acts as a cue for the lymph system - which delivers the white blood cells and antibodies that combat disease – to kick into action. On the flip side of the coin, stress – anxiety, fatigue, anger etc. – produces the hormones adrenalin and cortisol, which serve to depress the immune system. As luck would have it, regular exercise also helps to manage stress - double whammy.

As Alesha Dixon said in her January tips, Echinacea is great for giving the immune system a helping hand in winter and dosing up on Vitamin C is a good idea if the sniffles do strike.