Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle Can Help Fight Off Viruses

Medical experts say changing our daily habits to include a healthier diet and routine exercise can help fight off viruses and improve our overall health. They recommend starting our day with fiber such as eating a bowl of unsweetened bran cereal and then add a dark colored berry like blueberries, which are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in our gut, and antioxidants and flavonoids “improve the health of macrophages and other virus-eating cells.”

Then they suggest you take a walk, ride a bike, swim or jog for about 30 minutes to an hour. Doctors say exercising helps to circulate our immune cells and that the benefit lasts for up to two to three hours after we are done.

Lunch or your afternoon snack should include a salad or a veggie and fruit smoothie. Dietitians advise varying the fruits and veggies you eat and to try to get ten servings a day. Another tip to help ward off viruses include taking time each day to destress and relax. This could include listening to music, meditating, gardening, crafting, painting, drawing, working on a hobby, etc.

Experts also say a healthy lifestyle habit is to connect with others whether you now have to do it virtually or meet outdoors. Social interactions are important to our wellbeing and even more so as we age as “emerging research indicates that loneliness and social isolation can increase inflammation throughout your body.”

MorningStar at Jordan Creek’s goal is to provide the best senior living Des Moines offers, which includes delicious, nutritionally balanced meals. Our meals are prepared largely from scratch and include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, many of which are locally sourced. Our friendly, loving community also ensures no one feels alone but rather are part of the MorningStar family. Please contact us to learn more and to ask about pricing and availability.

MorningStar at Jordan Creek offers the very best in senior living with our distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true “home” for residents. Please visit our website for the most trusted senior living Des Moines – West Des Moines has to offer.

Source: aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2020/daily-virus-prevention-tips.html