We all know the importance of taking care of our mind and physical body, but have you ever considered how your immune system takes part in that? Maintaining a healthy immune system is at the core of living a long, healthy and happy life!
The immune system is a system, not a single entity. For it to function well, it requires balance and harmony. Following general good-health guidelines will allow your immune system to stay strong and healthy, even as you age.
Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System
Reduce stress levels
Eat a healthy diet
Consider taking supplements
Get enough sleep
Reduce stress levels
Reducing your stress levels is key to keeping your immune system running smoothly. Chronic stress suppresses the immune response of the body by releasing the hormone cortisol. Cortisol reduces the antibody secretory IgA, which lines the gut and respiratory tract. This antibody is our first line of defense against pathogens, so increased cortisol levels can be harmful to our immunity. Keeping your stress levels in check is not always easy, so it’s important to try different activities to see what works for you. Some great ways of managing stress are practicing yoga, meditation, or deep breathing regularly.
Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet filled with lots of vegetables is also a great way to naturally maintain a healthy body! Veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts are loaded with nutrients that are great for our immune system, and should be consumed on a daily basis. Something you might not know is that our liver ensures the body’s natural detoxification, so it is extremely important we take care of it! For a healthy liver, vegetables like kale, broccoli and cabbage should be included in your regular diet. Check out our Juicing Blog for some inspo on easily getting those fruits and veggies in you!
Consider taking supplements
Taking supplements and natural herbs may also help boost your immune system’s capabilities. Herbs like AHCC, Echinacea, Elderberry, Andrographis and Astragalus can help reduce the duration and severity of illness. Vitamin C is one of the most common immune system boosters. Foods rich in vitamin C include oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, kale and broccoli. Daily intake of vitamin C is essential for good health because your body doesn’t produce or store it. Vitamin B6 is vital to supporting biochemical reactions in the immune system. If you don’t get any in your diet, then you can find supplements online or at your health store. Vitamin E is also great for your immune system. It is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body fight off infection.
Get sleep
Finally, getting enough sleep each night is a really essential part of leading a healthy lifestyle and allowing your body to fight off illness. Lack of sleep can cause the inflammatory immune response to activate, reducing the activity of T cells in the body. This can weaken your immune system and response to vaccines. Try to sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night to keep your body and immune system nice and strong!
We hope these tips were helpful, or at least a good reminder to take care of yourself. The most important thing is to make sure you are letting your body rest, and that you are fueling it with good nutrients! We would love to hear what other suggestions you have for building a stronger immune system. Comment them down below!
It’s official – the clocks are going back and winter is that little bit closer! With the time change comes darker evenings (you should expect sun set about 1 hour earlier than before), although for a time mornings will be lighter. Life – and your training – doesn’t stop though, so safety is as important as ever!
August is officially around the corner and you’re doing your best to stay cool, we totally get it and we’re with you! We’ve put together a few bullet points that will keep you motivated to drink as much water as possible this Summer:
Reasons to Drink Water:
Regulates body temperature
Transports food throughout the body
Assists in delivering glucose to the muscles
Helps remove toxins and waste from the body
Maintains blood volume and blood pressure
Cushions and lubricates joints
Keeps blood thin and circulating
Drinking Water Results In:
Increased energy
Peak muscle function
Less cramping
Speedier recovery
More comfort during exertion
This is why Fitletic is so dedicated to developing superior hydration packs. Staying hydrated during exertion, especially in the heat, doesn’t just improve performance and comfort, it is critical for safety and health. We want to meet all your hydration needs and let you go totally hands-free while you do it! Ideally, you should be made up of a certain percentage of water, just like body fat percentage and muscle mass. It comes down to the numbers, the amount of water in the human body ranges from 50%-75%. To get really technical, bodybuilding.com states that water makes up nearly 85% of your brain, about 80% of your blood and about 70% of your lean muscle. The thing about water is that you can’t replace it with something else. In fact, many of the beverages we drink do the opposite and actually steal water from the body instead of increase the amount. If all of the positives such as the reasons to drink water and what drinking water results in doesn’t motivate you, let’s flip the coin and look at the other side. Being dehydrated is the #1 cause of daytime fatigue, a 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, difficulty with basic math, and difficulty completing basic tasks. Without the proper amount of water, your body’s circulation can even falter. If you’re dehydrated, odds are your body is not even burning as much fat as it’s able to if hydrated correctly. If you’re into taking care of yourself and part of the self-love craze, look no further. One of the biggest and best beauty tips from models to actresses to everyday people is to drink water, water, water. Not only does it leave your skin dewy and smooth, it can leave your body odor smelling fresh, your breath better, and your hair and nails stronger. Water does just about everything you want that we pay oodles of dollars for in powders, creams and serums. Invest in becoming aware of your water intake and be prepared to see greater results. This quick fix is no joke! Fitletic is here to assist in your quest for proper hydration. Just check out our products today and you’ll be amazed at the variety of options both in function and aesthetics. Happy Summer shopping, athletes!
If you’re not following National Geographic on Instagram, now’s a good time to start. They offer up many visual examples of how humans are hurting the planet. They bring awareness and education directly to those unaware of how their personal products and habits are effecting our planet. Not all are guilty, many are simply uneducated about what it means to be green. If we can create conversation about the problem, we can become mindful about our actions and together make the choice to keep our planet happy and healthy. It wasn’t the first time it hit me, but it was the first time I felt overwhelmingly frustrated about the state of my own habits… National Geographic had posted a picture of a baby seahorse grasping to a cotton swab. The size of the cotton swab is way bigger than the seahorse and they are co-existing as one entity in the ocean. It was a huge wake-up call. Even my cotton swabs were harmful. What else was I missing and were there solutions? As an avid runner, I’ve always felt the sport is environmentally-friendly. After all, it’s you, your sneakers, and the ground beneath you, right? Well, sort of. There’s a huge difference between running on your own 3-5 times a week and being a participant in a marathon event. Marathons have come a long way from being harmful to our planet. However, they were not always so eco-conscious. It’s the plastic cups from water stations that are problematic. According to The New York Daily News, at the New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners association uses 21,600 bottles of water for the Marathon Eve Dinner. As for race day beverages, there are 1.6 million cups of water used on the course. Enter Fitletic Hydration Accessories. We have created solutions for this very serious environmental problem. Of course everyone needs to be and stay hydrated during a marathon. How you hydrate and what you use to hydrate, however, is a larger issue – and one that can be solved. Fitletic has created Hydration Gear made by runners, for runners. Tried and true gear with a genuinely loyal customer base, Fitletic gives runners the opportunity to do their part in being green on race day. Not only do our accessories allow runners to lessen the amount of cups used, Fitletic also gives runners the choice of when to drink water and not to waste excess water. First, the Fitletic Hydration Belt comes in two sizes, the first holds two 6 oz bottles and the second holds two 8 oz bottles. The bottles are BPA free and they’re dishwasher safe. The dynamically designed waist belt doesn’t ride up or bounce and unlike most other belts, it will stay in place while you’re running a marathon. In addition to solving the harmful water cups issue, it also includes storage for your essentials, smartphone, and gel loops – plus it even has integrated toggles. The large pouch fits iPhone8 +, Samsung Galaxy S8 and other similar sized phones – with a thin case. The Ultra soft Dual-Adjust waist bet also has an interior pocket to securely hold ID and Credit Cards. Our second option for runners participating in marathons is the Fully Loaded Water and Gel Belt. This is a gel carrier and water bottle belt in one. The Fully Loaded carries a high-capacity BPA-free water flask with an easy-flow spout. The belt fits the same sized phones as the Hydration Belt. This brings us to our third accessory: The Hydration Hand Holders may be just what you’re looking for. The first option is the Hydrapalm Bottle Hand Holder that is a palm-held water bottle that dual functions as a smartphone holder. It contains a water-resistant neoprene pouch that fits the same iPhones as the previously mentioned accessories. It also has dual zippers that allow for easy access to phone and essentials in addition to the true touch window that’s audio friendly. The second option is the Hydra Pocket Hydration Band. Along with having the same features as the Hydrapalm, the Hydra Pocket has a lightweight mesh pouch that holds small essentials like your ID or CCs. Now that we’re all totally aware of the stats, the problem and the obvious solutions, don’t just go for the gold on race day, go green as well. Sometimes we need to see something for ourselves or understand how something we do that’s small (like drinking water from plastic cups) when added up, can create a huge problem for the environment. Do you remember your first experience seeing something or reading about an issue that had to do with the environment that really hit a nerve for you? The cups situation at marathons luckily has a solution, find a Fitletic hydration belt or Hydra Hand Held today that speaks to you and go for the gold while being green!
With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, I’ve had time to reflect on all the amazing things my dad has taught me over the years. From the time my dad took my training wheels off my tricycle, to the time he taught me how to drive a mid-size SUV only a couple months ago (don’t judge me I’m from New York City!), all I can think is how blessed and grateful I am to have such loving and supportive parents. They have both instilled the confidence in me to do whatever task is at hand, and have prepared me to do great things in this world.
In essence, my dad helped set me up for success by giving me the proper preparation, practice and resources necessary to be the best possible version of myself. If I had to choose the two settings in which my relationship with my father blossomed, it would be in the kitchen and on the soccer field. My dad went to cooking school and he also played sports growing up, he was even the catcher for Miami University’s baseball team! So, he had a lot to teach my brother, Daniel, and I.
My father taught me early on – whether in the kitchen or on the soccer field – how important it is to practice, practice, practice…and to practice properly. He strongly believes in using products with high quality and value, especially while practicing and preparing for something important to you. So, I learned how to tell the difference between something gimmicky and something worth purchasing. This important lesson has followed me throughout my life, and is even part of the reason why I am such a passionate supporter of Fitletic. Fitletic products are made to last, they’re durable, well thought out, and engineered to perfection. Exactly the type of products my father would have taught me to appreciate growing up, especially for all my future morning runs and hikes with friends.
See, the importance of something that’s well made goes beyond just the aesthetics – it allows you to take on your activity with tools that’ll only help you reach your goals – not take away from them. It’s those innovations that make all the difference, like the time my dad lent me his favorite compression socks when I started getting shin splints from running. The lesson is in the details, and the details are what my dad pays attention to more than the average person.
That’s why this Father’s day, I’m excited to gift my dad his very own Fitletic waist belt paired with our new and improved armband. I already have a feeling he’ll enjoy and notice the user-friendly touch screen and the quality material it’s made with to wick moisture and sweat. As for the waist belt, it won’t be a new accessory for him – he’s been wearing one since I was a kid. But he’s in for a treat, because I know firsthand Fitletic has the best one on the market.
The gift is about letting him know I listened all those times he urged me to pick quality over cutting corners. It’s about showing him that his hard work as a parent has changed my life, who I am, and the kinds of decisions I make on a daily basis; whether it’s being detail-oriented, practicing and preparing properly, or valuing the things I’m lucky to have.
Like everything else he does, he has given parenting his best effort and I can say in earnest, he was always great and every day becomes greater. Dad, thank you for everything you do for me, I wouldn’t be me without you. Show your dad (or guardian/parental figure) you care this Father’s day by pairing two Fitletic products together and give the gift of top-notch quality because your dad and my dad deserve products that match their lessons and lifestyles!
It wasn’t the first time it hit me, but it was the first time I felt overwhelmingly frustrated about the state of my own habits… National Geographic had posted a picture of a baby seahorse grasping to a cotton swab. The size of the cotton swab is way bigger than the seahorse and they are co-existing as one entity in the ocean. It was a huge wake-up call. Even my cotton swabs were harmful. What else was I missing and were there solutions? As an avid runner, I’ve always felt the sport is environmentally-friendly. After all, it’s you, your sneakers, and the ground beneath you, right? Well, sort of. There’s a huge difference between running on your own 3-5 times a week and being a participant in a marathon event. Marathons have come a long way from being harmful to our planet. However, they were not always so eco-conscious. It’s the plastic cups from water stations that are problematic. According to The New York Daily News, at the New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners association uses 21,600 bottles of water for the Marathon Eve Dinner. As for race day beverages, there are 1.6 million cups of water used on the course. Enter 
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