4 tips to boost immunity in the new year for the whole family
The New Year is a time for setting goals and taking on challenges. The start of a new phase in life, marked each year by the first day of January, fills most of us with optimism, enthusiasm, and motivation to take action, and is associated with plans to change our habits for the better. Is taking care of your health and immunity among your New Year’s resolutions? If so, be sure to check out these four simple tips that you can put into practice with your whole family.
Since a proper diet is a very important factor in maintaining health and building the body’s immunity, it’s worth changing your eating habits and getting your loved ones on board. And what better way to encourage your little one than through play? ? On the weekend or whenever you all have more time, play at being little chefs and hold a contest to prepare the tastiest and healthiest dishes. Every weekend, a different person (or a team of a parent and a child) has to prepare a healthy, delicious dinner or breakfast. Make a list of ingredients that must be included in the meal and those that are off-limits. Exclude from the list, for example, sugar and processed foods, and be sure to include vegetables and spices that have a positive effect on boosting our immunity—such as onions, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, spinach, cabbage, or lemon.
Physical activity is essential for building the body’s immunity. How can you encourage family members to be more physically active? Exercise together and share your passions. It’s easier to get motivated and leave the house when you’re together. If everyone enjoys a different type of activity, designate weeks or months dedicated to a specific activity—for example, in January go to the pool that Dad loves, in February take long walks that Mom enjoys, and in March go rollerblading, which the son loves.
Research published in the medical journal *Journal of Advancement in Medicine* has shown that negative emotions weaken our immune system. A 5-minute bout of anger can be so stressful for our body that it compromises the proper functioning of our immune system for over six hours! During this time, we’ll be more susceptible to all kinds of infections and illnesses. So, good advice for the whole family is to avoid stress and negative emotions, and instead trigger the release of endorphins. Children should follow their parents’ example and avoid worrying unnecessarily, stressing over trivial matters, and look for the positive side of difficult situations. Make sure your home is filled with love, peace, and smiles.
You can also treat the need to follow basic hygiene rules—which have a huge impact on our immunity and disease prevention—as a game and combine business with pleasure. Create your own household hygiene rules. Brainstorm together about the hygiene rules you should follow. Prepare a large sheet of paper, colored markers, stickers, and any other decorations you like. Have everyone take turns coming up with one rule to include in the guidelines. Finally, to give it the formality of a real document and to show everyone’s commitment to following the rules, have everyone sign the house rules. What rules should definitely be included? First and foremost, washing hands every time you come home and before every meal. In addition—avoid entering rooms other than the entryway with shoes on, thoroughly clean doorknobs and light switches during cleaning, use separate cutting boards for different types of food, and maintain personal hygiene.
