Tag Archives: Immune System

J is for Jump, Jump, Jump for Joy

Jump, jump, jump for joy!  Jump for natural health!  Jump for long life and strong bones.  Jumping and other weight-bearing exercises will help you to preserve your bones and avoid osteoporosis.  Keeping still and sedentary promotes bone and muscle loss, while using your muscles builds new bones.  Rebounding, on a mini-trampoline, is the antidote to bone loss and the way to avoid breaking bones due to falls, and it’s the easy way to build muscle.

Mini-trampolines, also known as Rebounders, are great for year-round exercise.  Set up a mini-tramp in front of the TV and you can justify watching daytime TV, cause you’re not really watching that soap opera, you’re exercising your heart! You’re exercising your lungs and your lymphatic system.  You’re exercising your spine.  All in one easy exercise – jump – up and down and up and down.

The benefits of rebounding are many.  Rebounding not only works on the bones to reduce age-related degenerative diseases, it also helps to increase your breathing capacity and circulate more oxygen throughout your entire body.  Rebounding stimulates the production of red blood cells and improves the lymphatic system, thereby helping to increase blood flow to the veins. Improving the lymph systems also improves the whole immune system, thereby leading to less illness like colds and allergies.

Any kind of exercise will improve your chances to lose weight, and jumping stimulates metabolism which leads to even more weight loss. It stimulates the glands, especially the thyroid, which can lead to increased weight loss.  While you’re losing weight by jumping, you’ll also be lowering your bad cholesterol and triglycerides, while raising your good cholesterol levels.  Rebounding aids digestion and improves the elimination process, another way to lose weight!  For more info on getting a jump start on a weight loss programs, see previous post – J is for Jump Start your Wellness.

By improving muscle tone and building strong bones, rebounding relieves aches and pains in the neck and lower back, especially caused by a sedentary lifestyle.  Exercise can improve your mood, help you sleep and relax, reduce fatigue and menstrual discomfort in women.

If all of this hasn’t gotten you up off the chair and jumping up and down already – well, know that rebounding can keep you young!  And it’s so much fun you’ll want to do it every day.  And exercising every day will make you happy and joyful and naturally healthy and naturally beautiful!  So go ahead and jump for joy!

 

 

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I is for Immune Building Foods

Immune Building Foods for Natural Health

Whole grains like millet, amaranth, barley, quinoa , buckwheat and oats are full of vitamins, minerals and fiber.  Fiber helps to cleanse the colon of toxins and promote healthy digestive movement.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially dark-colored ones are full of carotenoids and other immune-boosting antioxidants.  The best veggies for an immune building diet include; carrots, sweet potatoes, asparagus, kale, red and green peppers, broccoli and the dark leafy greens such as turnip greens, collard greens, spinach and romaine lettuce.

Many berries and other fruits are high in flavonoids that protect us from heart disease.

Fruits to help build immune system include; pink and red grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, red apples, red grapes, bananas, cranberries, tomatoes, mangoes, tangerines, nectarines, peaches, oranges and watermelon.

Foods that contain the Omega 3′s include; ground flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, salmon, mackerel, and herring.

High quality protein is important for maintaining maximum production of cells to support the immune system, preventing loss of lean muscle mass and boosting energy.  Try to eat only organic, pesticide-free animal protein  that has not been treated with antibiotics or growth hormones.

Onions, garlic, ginger and turmeric all contain fabulous immune-boosting nutrients, so add them to your natural health diet as well and live long and prosper!

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I is for the Immune System – What Is It? – Part 2

I is for the Immune System

White and red blood cells are produced in the spongy tissue called bone marrow.   Bone marrow which is high in nutrients is crucial for a properly functioning immune system. The immune system is even in your nose where the hair helps to capture bacteria and other disease-causing microorganisms before they can get into the bloodstream and cause disease.

B cells and T cells are the main kinds of lymphocytes that attack foreign cells. B cells produce antibodies to diseases and send messages to the T cells, which regulate the body’s immune response. T cells also destroy diseased cells.

Other parts of the immune system (some of which have previously been considered “useless” organs and have been indiscriminately removed) are the appendix, the tonsils and the spleen.

Many of our present-day common diseases are the result of poor immune response and a compromised immune system.  In order to prevent these diseases, even the common cold, and be naturally healthy, we need to boost our immune systems and provide the nourishment needed to fight infection and disease.

See Next Post:  I is for Immune Boosting Foods

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I is for Immune System – What Is It – Part 1

I is for the Immune System

What’s up, Doc?  Bugs and Popeye had it right – Eat your fruits and vegetables, like carrots and spinach and you will build up your immune system.

What exactly is the immune system?  The immune system is made up of special proteins, tissues and cells and organs that defend us against all of the germs and microorganisms we come in contact with every day.  The cells involved are white blood cells, or leukocytes, which seek out and destroy disease-causing organisms or substances.

The lymphatic system, consisting of small organs called lymph nodes, is the main component of the immune system is the lymphatic system.   The lymph nodes are located all through the body, especially in the throat, the armpit and the groin.  These nodes produce lymph fluid which consists of white blood cells that circulate throughout the body.

The white blood cells are the main fighting soldiers in the body’s immune system. Their purpose is to fight and destroy any foreign or diseased cells that are trying to attack the body. A raised white cell count is usually a sign of infection, because the worse the infections, the more white cells are present to fight it.

See Next Post:  I is Immune System – What Is It? Part 2

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