Thursday, April 9, 2020

The Ways to Avoid Getting Sick From Coronavirus That No One is Talking About.

Aside from washing one’s hands a hundred times each day, keeping a safe six to ten feet away from other people, and #stayathome, what are the other ways in which we can avoid getting sick from Coronavirus?
Because, in the news, we are hearing a lot about sickness and death, though not much about the people who are not getting sick.
While I am not a scientist, and there are no guarantees, the people who are more likely to fall desperately ill are the ones who do not take great care of themselves, health-wise.
If you have a rock-solid immune system, which comes from taking great care of yourself, then if you do contract the virus, your body is way more likely to be able to fight it off.
A strong immune system and top-notch health is the best armor you can possibly have to ward off and protect yourself against the virus.
Here are several ways in which you can accomplish obtaining that:

Getting 8+ hours of sleep.

This is one of the most crucial. And not many people are doing it. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a sleep epidemic throughout the world. Sleep, though, almost more so than exercise and diet, is the single most restorative thing you can do for your body.
And no, it is not true that “everyone can function on different amounts of sleep.” This is a fallacy. All humans need, at minimum, 7 hours every night. Though 8 is ideal.

In not getting enough sleep for just one night, you decrease the T fighter cells in your body by 70%, thus resulting in a steep rise in the risk of getting cancer and contracting other various diseases. Now, imagine not getting enough sleep most nights, or for even weeks or months at a time. You are at grave risk for cancer and other sicknesses as a result.
Not getting enough sleep for just a couple of nights raises your blood sugar levels to levels of a pre-diabetic. It impairs your cognitive functioning and ability to learn, as well as process memories. Lacking sleep makes you fat. It wrecks your skin. It makes you hungrier (when in reality, you do not need the calories). People who do not get enough sleep tend to get sick far more often. The list of detriments to health that not getting enough sleep does to you goes on and on.

Eating Healthy.

Personal opinions differ on what this means. Eating healthy though, according to numerous research and sources, looks something like this.
Consume lots of lean proteins (fish, meats), eggs, some cheese and yogurt, occasional rice, only pasta made with rice flour (and otherwise, no pasta), a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, etc. And, drink a lot of water and green tea (you can read about the bad-ass benefits of drinking green tea here).
Avoid eating sugar, processed foods (basically anything from a box), wheat, all pasta (except if made with rice flour), all bread (even gluten-free), much alcohol, and legumes. Wheat, sugar, and legumes are considered toxic to humans. (The Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Ph.D. And, The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant. Plus, unquestionably from several other sources of which I am not yet aware).

(Some sources for the above ideal nutrition information include: Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, The Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet, Ph.D. and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Ph.D., The Paleo Manifesto by John Durant, The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body by Sarah Ballantyne, The Whole 30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig Urban and Dallas Hartwig. The list can certainly go on).

Exercise.

I realize that being homebound can make this more challenging. However, YouTube right now is a great resource for this. You can find innumerable fun exercises and workouts right on your computer.
You can also purchase, for relatively cheap, workout equipment on Amazon.com, like a kettlebell, exercise ball, yoga mat, workout bands, hand weights, and more.
With most people working remotely, this means a lot of us are sitting for hours and hours of our day. And with gyms closed, many people are forgoing exercise altogether. Do not let this happen. You need to stay in shape. Make it a point to do so. Your body and health need this from you.
Staying strong is a method of keeping your body in top shape and able to fight off disease, if and when it enters. When one’s body is out of shape and weak, you are less able to fight off sickness.

Drink lots of water.

Most people move through their days partially dehydrated, though unaware of this. Water is crucial to keeping your organs and body systems functioning at tip-top shape. Without enough water, your body systems do not function as well. Water also helps with flushing out toxins. Aim to drink several tall glasses of plain water every day.

Get outside for at least 20 minutes a day.

Yes, outside. You can go outside while still practicing social distancing. We humans need the sunshine, the fresh air, and the outdoors. For both our physical and mental health. Without it, your health does take a hit.
The air is not so dense with Coronavirus that, on stepping out your door and taking a breath, you have now breathed it in.
Thus, there is no reason to fear going outside. Either for contracting or spreading the disease. The atmosphere is too large and sparse for this to be a concern. Going outside is not the problem. Social distancing is.
So, get outside and keep a distance of six to ten feet from people. Then, you’ve got no issues. Keeping yourself shut away indoors though is not doing anything good for your health.

Keeping a positive, non-fear-based mindset.

Stress, anxiety, worry, anger, and fear, all weaken your immune system. People who live high-stress lives tend to have way more health problems than those who have less stress in their life. Thus, this is where learning to control your thoughts and mind come in very hand. In fact, they are crucial right now.
What is happening in the world is scary. There is much uncertainty out there at the moment. A lot of people are sick. Employment, for many, has either ceased or is uncertain. All of this is deeply upsetting.
And, the news does both, reporting on what is happening, as well as structuring their stories in such a way that they attract high numbers of readers. And, how might they do that? Well, by writing about things that are terrifying will keep people freaked out and coming back to keep checking in on these scary stories and figures. They manufacture fear to keep people worrying and coming back to read updates on the scary stuff.
Yes, the news does exaggerate or leave certain things out or even skew things for their benefit. Remember that.
So. Make the effort to keep your mind off stress, cynicism, and fear. Ruminating on these emotions will only weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to getting sick.
These are several things over which you have control in your life, and which can help significantly with safeguarding you from getting sick. These can even be game-changers, in terms of whether you fall ill or not.
Instead of focusing on the numbers of sick people and the unknown of what is happening right now (which is ultimately pointless since you can do nothing to change or influence it), focus on what you can control. All of the above with regards to your health.
It is your best defense against getting sick and protecting your health.

This article was originally published here, on Medium.com.

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