No matter how healthy and fit you are, you are still vulnerable, especially during seasonal flu epidemics. The best way to fight diseases is to help your immune system fight them. It is also necessary to maintain the immune system throughout the year, because the athlete very often finds himself in a stressful situation and gets tired after training or competition.

A little test for your immunity.

Do you catch a cold more than three times a year?
– Is it hard and long to recover during an illness?;
Do you feel pain in your joints and constant fatigue?
Do tonsils often hurt, pain under the armpits and in the groin area?;
– training is difficult and ineffective, and sports results have fallen?;
Do you have symptoms of asthma or arthritis?
Do you have to take antibiotics at least once a year?
Do you suffer from respiratory diseases?
– sleep less than 5-7 hours a day?;
– food allergies?

If there are at least five positive answers to the questions, then it’s time to think about how to strengthen your immunity. The immune system is weakened by various factors: lack of vitamins and minerals, unhealthy diet, environmental pollution, stressful situations, and, oddly enough, too intense training. There are many remedies, and from nature, that can help.

How to support the immune system of an athlete
Vitamin C. White blood cells need help to cope with various infections. Taking vitamin C you help them with this. The daily intake of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men. But, here, too, one should not overdo it – increased doses of vitamin C, on the contrary, can reduce athletic performance against the background of acid accumulation in the body.

Excessive training. Moderate physical activity strengthens the body’s immunity, and excessive exercise, on the contrary, weakens it. Excessive physical activity simply does not give the body enough time to recover. Signs of overtraining: weakness, as well as reduced performance. To avoid this, it is necessary to arrange at least one day a week off without training.

Echinacea. The most famous plant with immunomodulatory properties. It is effective to take immediately after the first signs of the disease. Available in the form of tablets, and in the form of tincture. With a long taking (more than a month), some people may have an allergic reaction to echinacea preparations.

Garlic. Contains the substance allicin. It reduces the risk of respiratory disease and has an antifungal agent. The daily dose of garlic is one garlic clove or one capsule. To avoid smell, you can use biological additives with extracts of garlic.

Drinking tea. Green tea is rich in antioxidants. No less useful herbal teas will also help: mint, linden, currant leaves, as well as herbal teas.

Black elderberry. It is rich in antioxidants, therefore it is a good immunomodulatory agent. Their elderberry preparations are produced in the form of syrup (Sambucol), lozenges, tinctures and throat sprays. It has long been used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and antiviral agent.

Sun. Under the influence of sunlight, the body produces vitamin D. It is necessary to strengthen the human immune system. When the weather is sunny outside, you need to go outside and walk, at least for a few minutes. Vitamin D is also found in eggs, dairy products and oily fish.

Zinc and selenium. With zinc deficiency, the thymus gland, which produces important immune cells, T-lymphocytes, decreases and dries out. Selenium and zinc are also needed for the body to produce antioxidant enzymes. A lot of zinc in cereals, poultry, nuts, seafood and yogurt. Selenium is scarce in common foods, but it can still be found in fish, mushrooms, Brazil nuts, calf’s liver, and young lamb.

Beneficial bacteria. 80% of the immune system is located in the gut. The frequent use of antibiotics and other drugs, in addition to pathogenic bacteria, also kills beneficial bacteria. Taking probiotics – beneficial bacteria with prebiotics – dietary fiber that creates a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria, supports the immune system and the whole body as a whole. Beneficial bacteria are contained in fermented milk products, special liquid preparations and dry powder capsules.

Dream. It is necessary to sleep at least 8 hours a day, in a dream a person gains health and strength. During sleep, muscle fibers are restored and growth hormones are produced and the immune system is strengthened.

Stress. In winter, the athlete is especially prone to stress. accumulates in the body Adrenaline and cortisol are hormones responsible for the body’s response to stress and hunger. They can damage the immune system. You need to be able to relax on weekends and holidays.

Food. A large amount of antioxidants is found in vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains. The use of vegetables and fruits will bring to the body various natural antioxidants – carotenoids and flavonoids.

Of course, these are not all ways to support your immunity, but if you follow them, then it is quite possible to maintain and strengthen your health.