At the end of last year, under the attack of various viruses, many people failed to hold the line of defense. After struggling for some time in a state that seemed to be sick but not sick, they eventually fell with a fever and even went to the hospital to seek medical treatment. A few people have even had fever more than once.

This is when you can see the difference in disease resistance.

What should be noted here is that immunity does not equal disease resistance against influenza viruses and new coronaviruses. Because immunity is a larger concept, it includes not only resistance to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, etc. but also the ability to monitor internal immunity and eliminate aging mutated cells. In this article, disease resistance mainly refers to the ability to resist infectious diseases caused by various external pathogens.

Self-examination 1: Internal organ and metabolic functions

• Is your blood sugar too high or too low?
• Do you have high blood pressure?
• Do you have dyslipidemia?
• Are your liver and kidney functions normal?
• Do you suffer from any diagnosed chronic medical conditions?

It is easy to understand that those who have metabolic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and gout, people with poor liver and kidney function, and people with severe gastrointestinal diseases cannot have optimal disease resistance.

Self-examination 2: Nutritional status and gastrointestinal function

• Do you often skip breakfast?
• Do you deliberately eat less or skip staple foods?
• Do you rarely eat protein foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk?
• Do you rarely eat fresh vegetables?
• Do you eat less in three meals, and when you are hungry between meals, do you use snacks and sweet drinks such as milk tea to satisfy your hunger?
• Do you often have a loss of appetite and don’t want to eat a lot of food?
• Do you often suffer from gastric blockage, bloating, stomach pain, bloating, bowel sounds, diarrhea, unformed stools, etc.?
• Do you have a gastrointestinal condition diagnosed by a doctor?
• Are you thin or flabby, have little strength, get tired easily, and are afraid of the cold?

A good nutritional status means that there is sufficient energy and various nutrients to withstand the consumption of fighting the virus. People who have adequate daily body nutrition reserves will be at a greater advantage at this time. The digestion and absorption ability is strong, and all kinds of food can be enjoyed happily. It is also closely related to the nutritional status.

Having more muscles means you have sufficient protein reserves. There is not too much visceral fat, but there is a slight layer of fat covering the body surface, which is also an advantage for energy storage. After all, the work of the immune system requires a lot of energy. We can easily find that those who have strong muscles and strong bodies are more likely to defeat the virus and stay active. Being skinny and thin is not conducive to disease resistance; being soft and puffy is not good either, because they are often in a state of metabolic disorder.

Eating enough vitamins and having adequate reserves of zinc, iron, and other nutrients will give you a greater advantage in fighting diseases. Because the immune battle requires the consumption of more vitamin C and B vitamins, it also requires the support of vitamin A and vitamin D. Therefore, it is beneficial to regularly supplement with multivitamins and minerals at this time.

Self-examination 3: Physical and mental stress states

• Can’t you rest before 11 pm?
• Do you often need to work overtime until after 10 p.m.?
• Do you often feel particularly tired, sometimes too tired to have fun or even eat?
• Do you often feel unsatisfied, unhappy, irritable, or anxious in your work and life?
• Are your relationships with classmates/colleagues/leaders tense?
• Do you feel a lack of harmony and relaxation with your family?

Low physical and mental stress means getting enough sleep and exercise, not being overly tired at work, and not being overly anxious, frustrated, or depressed. Frequently staying up late, feeling nervous, having emotional conflicts with family and friends, etc., will increase stress hormones, and abnormally increased stress hormones will significantly reduce disease resistance. Therefore, it is true that getting enough sleep improves disease resistance, while a bad mood harms disease resistance.

Make peace with yourself, don’t be harsh on yourself, be tolerant of others, and try to reduce mental stress. When you feel irritable, go out for a walk, do some exercise, and breathe some fresh air.

Self-Check 4: Environmental Stress State

• Do you often feel underdressed and a little cold?
• Are your hands and feet often not warm?
• Do you often wear cropped pants or cotton shoes that cannot protect your ankles, leaving your ankles always in the cold?
• Do you rarely use hats and scarves to keep your head and neck warm in winter?
• Is your office or home rarely opening windows for ventilation, and the air quality is very poor?
• Is air pollution serious in your city?

The environment is less stressful, which means that you don’t let yourself get cold or be in a heavily polluted environment. Research has long confirmed that air pollution can increase inflammation and increase the risk of respiratory tract infections.

Excessive cold is also a kind of adversity stimulus that will reduce the respiratory tract’s disease resistance. Cold itself does not directly cause disease, but it can weaken the body’s resistance to disease-causing microorganisms. The mouth and nose are always exposed to various bacteria and viruses daily, but they do not often get sick. Only when their physical condition is weak and their disease resistance is low, will they break through the defense line and march straight in.

The body’s contact with viruses and bacteria consumes a lot of energy and nutrients. Dressing warmer in winter will save the energy your body needs to regulate its temperature. If your body is not strong enough, wouldn’t it be better to use this energy to deal with viruses and bacteria and strengthen your immune defense line?

The head and neck, ankles, and wrists are the parts with the weakest muscles, the least subcutaneous fat, and the easiest blood vessels to dissipate heat. They are particularly in need of heat preservation. Once these locations get cold, the blood vessels will constrict and the blood flow will slow down, they will become speed-limiting nodes, causing the blood circulation speed of the whole body to decrease. Once the blood circulation rate decreases, the energy supply of the whole body will be affected. Especially if the respiratory tract is in direct contact with cold air, viruses, and bacteria, the disease resistance will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, it is true that keeping warm can protect our disease resistance.

Self-examination 5: Exercise and fitness status

• Do you often sit still for hours at a time?
• Don’t you have the habit of exercising regularly?
• Are you physically unable to reach the average level of your peers?
• Do you insist on completing your fitness and exercise plan even when you are very tired?
• Have you been inactive for several days or even longer, but then exercised a lot in one go?
• Do you have to control your diet after exercising and skip three full meals?
• Do you have to work overtime after exercising, don’t get enough rest, and don’t get enough sleep at night?

Moderate exercise can also improve disease resistance, especially aerobic exercise in a fresh air environment is very helpful, but this is the effect of a period of exercise. Not exercising on weekdays, occasionally exercising a lot suddenly, or exercising vigorously after being exposed to high concentrations of viruses will only be counterproductive and reduce disease resistance.

Also note that after winter sports, you should put on warm clothes in time, eat three nutritious meals, and have a good rest at night to avoid excessive fatigue.

If you find that you have hit a few of these, these lifestyle mistakes are stealing your disease resistance! Hurry up and adjust your living conditions as mentioned in the article.