In this week's video we're looking at how you can maintain a healthy immune system
we've had so many messages so many comments to do a video on this
topic in light of the whole Covid-19 situation first of all I am seeing so many advertisements right now an Instagram on
Facebook all over the internet really of companies trying to promote the sale of
their supplements claiming things that they boost your immune system and loads
more I just want to confirm to you that these supplements who are claiming to
boost your immune system are warping the truth there is no evidence supporting
this and there is also no evidence supporting the use of any supplements
such as vitamin C zinc or anything really to protect you or prevent you
from getting Covid-19 non whatsoever and to be quite honest with you I really
think that these companies who try to make money out of the current situation
well they should really be ashamed of themselves now let's get back to my
usual chilled self it just really upsets me to see these false claims out there
and I don't want you or anyone really to fall for these false claims and
potentially harm yourself so please remember that most people can get all of
the vitamins and minerals that they require through a healthy balanced diet
vitamin D supplementation however is recommended in the UK during autumn and
winter time and this is recommended by the Department of Health also there are
a small number of individuals who will require supplementation but their
healthcare professional would have let them know to do this now that we're done
with vitamins I'm going to tell you everything you need to do to maintain a
healthy immune system so what we waiting for let's begin so tip number one the
easiest thing that you can do to help maintain a healthy immune system is
getting enough sleep because when we don't get enough sleep we produce less
cytokines and cytokines are a type of protein which target infection and
inflammation effectively creating an immune response so if you're an adult
please aim for seven to eight hours consistently every single night now if
you're 16 or under you will require more sleep and I will break this down for you
in the description below tip number two you need to be doing regular moderate
intensity exercise so what does that mean it means 150 minutes of moderate
intensity exercise every single week and I know it can be a bit tricky right now
because gyms are closed sports clubs are closed and the guidance is for you to
stay at home as much as you can to protect yourself to protect others
which is great but it can make doing the exercise a bit more difficult but please
remember this does not mean stop exercising because there's loads of
exercises that you can do at home and these moderate intensity exercises are
going to help maintain a healthy immune system and if you're stuck for ideas I did
make a video a few weeks ago with a personal trainer a friend of mine all
about exercises that you can do at home to help you lose weight it was from a
study done in Oxford so if you're free if you've got time check it out I leave a
link to it up here tip number three eating a healthy balanced diet and I
know as healthcare professionals we talk about healthy balanced diets all the
time well it's actually really important in helping you maintain a healthy immune
system and I know we all think we have a healthy balanced diet
we just think to yourself what are you eating it might also be useful keeping a
log and looking at what you're eating so the main thing that you need to look
out for is are you eating lots of processed foods like biscuits cakes
burgers sausages ready meals all which are high in saturated fats high in salts
high in sugars all which we know are notoriously bad for you or are you
eating lots of unprocessed foods like vegetables fruits whole grains
unprocessed fish so the best way to kind of think of it is are you eating more
unprocessed food or processed foods the more unprocessed the food is that you're
eating the more healthy and balanced your diet is going to be tip number four
it's all about stress and there's actually quite a lot of research out
there that high levels of stress can actually dampen your immune system so
what you need to try and do is stress less so I guess it's more important than
ever right now to stay in touch with family stay in touch with friends either
by a telephone via FaceTime by email whatever works for you obviously you
can't really see them physically face to face because of all the social
distancing that's going on right now but find a way to speak to people and talk
about what's worrying you talk about what you've done in the day and talk
about what you're going to do all of these are going to help reduce your
stress levels and if you know someone who's on their own contact them see how
they're doing give them a ring FaceTime them whatever
whatever works for you tip number five practicing good hygiene this is our
first line of defence to keep germs at bay so it's super important that you
follow good personal hygiene habits so what can you do well firstly you need to
wash your hands often with soap or water for a minimum of twenty seconds now if
you don't have soap or water available to you you can use alcohol hand
sanitiser instead but please remember a lot of the times I see people using alcohol
hand sanitizer incorrectly squirt a load in their hand and they just go like this
they're not covering all the different areas they should be doing so there is a
really useful link that I'm going to leave in the description below it shows
you exactly how to use hand sanitiser properly there's also an NHS video which
shows you how to wash your hands properly I will leave them both in the
description below for you and I'd highly recommend everyone watches it and
also please remember that if you do cut yourself please wash the area
straightaway and cover it with a bandage now if you do have a wound that's
healing or any spots please don't pick at the wound or pick any spots because
this is all going to allow germs to get in which is our physical barrier we've
had a lot of questions comments and messages about this so I hope that helps
and if you do have to cough or sneeze please cover your mouth and nose
immediately with either a flexed elbow or preferably a tissue once you're done
with that tissue please throw it in the bin straight away do not put it back in
your pocket to use later I have seen people do that you know who you are
tip number six it can be a bit of a difficult one but if you do want to
maintain a healthy immune system the evidence is there that you need to quit
smoking that is if you do smoke however also if you drink alcohol make sure you
drink the recommended amount of alcohol do not exceed this because if you do
exceed it it's going to hurt your immune system now for all the six tips in this
video I will of course leave more information on them in the description
below I'll also leave some links to some really useful articles and I'd highly
recommend everyone checks them out these really are unprecedented times right now
and I know that a lot of you will be social distancing so I just want to say
thank you for doing that you're protecting yourself you're
protecting others and helping the health system so thank you but I also
understand that social distancing can make your mood quite low it can be quite
boring it can be quite frustrating I understand all that and in times like
these it can be very easy to fall into an unhealthy pattern of behavior which
can lower your mood and dampen your immune system so it's really important that you
stay both mentally and physically active so please try your best to maintain a
healthy lifestyle as we've discussed in this video including a balanced diet
plenty of fluids sleep exercise and most importantly social contact if you live
with someone in the same house that's great but also people that you don't
live with or if you're on your own please maintain social contact either
via telephone by email by FaceTime via letters whatever works for you I really
hope you find the information in this video useful and please remember do not
fall for these adverts that we're seeing on Instagram and all over the internet
about supplements boosting your immune system and loads more you now know the
facts and instead try to make these simple lifestyle changes that we've
discussed in this video to help maintain a healthy immune system always remember
that you're awesome and I will see you next week hey guys thanks for watching this
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