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!
The holidays are here! Although we love this time of the year, there’s no question that finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones can be a bit overwhelming. This year, we’re sharing the ultimate gift guide with all the best gifts for your active friends and family.
Fitletic Has the Best Gift Ideas For:
Runners
Travelers
Fitness enthusiasts
People on-the-go
Runner
Hydra 16 Hydration Belt: Our hydration belt is a great essential for any friends and family that love to run or are preparing for an upcoming race! Featuring two 8 oz bottles, the Hydra 16 will keep you going after each mile. It can hold your phone, ID, and keys while also securing your race bib to keep you comfortable without any bounce. Perfect for races, training or any long runs!
Ultimate II Running Pouch with Gels: Great for any runner into high-endurance runs and sports. It allows you to carry enough to fuel yourself for any long distance adventures!
Traveler
Blitz Sports and Travel Belt: The perfect travel partner, this chic belt keeps your passport, phone, credit cards, hotel keys and more securely on-hand!
Bolt Fit Pouch: Another great travel option to store all your travel essentials, plus a little extra! Keep your passport, credit cards, cash, phone and boarding pass on you for easy and quick access.
Fitness Enthusiasts
Forte Plus Workout Armband: The perfect armband for any gym and fitness lover! Designed with comfort, function and style in mind, this armband features light memory foam to fit to your arm, an audio-friendly true touch window, ID pocket and a chord organizer.
Swipe Running Belt: The belt’s touch screen window gives you full access to your phone without needing to take it out. A spacious yet slim belt, it is perfect for a casual run or a trip to the gym!
Casual On-the-Go
Mini Sport Belt: This belt is great for casual hands-free activities or running errands. It’s sleek and minimalistic design goes perfectly with athleisure wear, and is great for storing on-the-go essentials like your phone, ID, credit card, keys or chapstick!
City Backpack: Comfortable and lightweight, this is the perfect gift for anyone heading to the office, classes or just running around town! Our new city backpack is the perfect size to hold all your on-the-go needs, including your laptop and iPad.
As a long-distance runner, you’re no stranger to the struggle of staying hydrated throughout your workout. Although certain climates and temperatures certainly put you at a higher risk of suffering from dehydration, it doesn’t matter where you’re training or what the weather is like—it’s not safe or enjoyable to try and go an entire run without drinking water. Perhaps you’ve recently moved to a rural area with fewer public water fountains along your running route, or maybe you’re simply sick of lugging your heavy water bottle on your runs and are seeking a better solution. No matter the reason behind your search for higher hydration, Fitletic’s hydration belt is the ultimate training tool to take you from base runs to race day.
It’s no secret that carrying anything on a run is a huge pain. From car keys and cash to cell phones and credit cards, you need a belt that can hold more than just energy gels without slowing you down (although our belts have those, too!). That’s why Fitletic’s running belts are specifically designed with you in mind. After years on the market, our hydration belts have evolved to adjust to runners’ needs.
Why YOU Should Choose a Fitletic Hydration Belt
Fits your large smartphone and more
Quick-draw water bottle holsters
Water-resistant material
Reflective accents for safety
A Large Pouch for Your Smartphone and More
For example, cell phones have increased in size, so have the dimensions of our pouches. Accounting for their cases, each Fitletic hydration belt can accommodate the iPhone XR, Samsung Galaxy S9+, and other similar-sized phones. We believe that every runner should feel safe knowing that their phone is close by in case of an emergency—having access to music, podcasts, and audiobooks doesn’t hurt either!
Quick-Draw Bottle Holsters
The most important element to a hydration belt is undoubtedly its water bottles. No one wants to deal with leakage or lose their containers because they aren’t properly secured. That’s why our water bottles and holsters completely eliminate leaking and are guaranteed to remain tightly fastened throughout your run, no matter the speed or distance. Fitletic hydration belts feature two eight-ounce water bottles with quick-flow race caps for single-handed use. BPA-free and dishwasher friendly, our water bottles are safe to use and easy to clean. Our quick-draw holsters sit on the side of the belt and include bungee cords that loop around the necks of the bottles for added stability.
Water-Resistant Material
Made of neoprene fabric—a synthetic rubber most commonly used to make scuba suits—Fitletic’s hydration belts are designed to keep your valuables safe from sweat and light rain. Push yourself during your workout in the humidity or an afternoon rain shower without the fear of causing water damage to your cell phone and credit cards.
Reflective Accents for Added Safety
We know that your commitment to training means you’re willing to put in miles at all hours of the day. Whether you’re hitting the pavement before dawn to ensure that you get a full workout in before heading into the office or trying to fit in a run before you call it a night, running in the dark can be a major safety hazard. The reflective accents on Fitletic’s hydration belts protect you when sharing the road with sleepy drivers and cyclists at odd hours.
What Makes Fitletic’s Hydration Belt Superior?
Silicone grippers
Integrated bib toggles
Soft dual-adjust waist
Dura-comfort technology
With all the hydration belts on the market, it’s hard to decide which features are crucial and which designs will work best for you. But what if we told you it’s possible to have all the essential elements that make up an incredible hydration belt, plus more? Fitletic has taken countless runners’ recommendations and spent years perfecting its current model. Long gone are the days of running belts worn around the waist—our cutting-edge design fastens around the hip bones in a way that eliminates bouncing altogether. In fact, Fitletic was the first company to release a hip-hugging hydration belt, ever. And no other running company packs all of the same features into one belt like we do. Still not convinced? Read on to discover Fitletic’s unique hydration belt elements that set us apart from the competition.
Silicone Grippers
You know those silicone strips around the ankles of your favorite pair of running leggings that are there so they don’t slide up when you’re moving? Imagine those silicone grippers lining your running belt so it doesn’t bounce around while you’re on your run. Now pinch yourself, because you’re not dreaming—Fitletic has incorporated this simple, yet brilliant design into all of its hydration belts so you can run far and wide, completely bounce free.
Integrated Bib Toggles
You’ve heard it time and time again—you’re going to race like you train, so you better train like you race. We recognize that our hydration belt isn’t just for the days leading up to your competition, it’s a big part of your race day too! That’s why we added easy-to-use bib toggles to attach your number tag. Just loop the cords through your bib holes and secure tightly—goodbye, fussy safety pins!
Ultra Soft Dual-Adjust Waist
We believe your running gear should never be working against you. That’s why our Ultra Soft Dual-Adjust Waist is made of a material that stretches with you as you move. Unlike other companies that use synthetic webbing in their belts, Fitletic was the first to come up with a hydration belt strap that is made of elastic webbing. Our belts are available in S/M and L/XL sizes with two regulators that allow you to adjust the belt further into a bigger or smaller size so it fits you just right.
Exclusive Dura-Comfort Technology
Thanks to our materials, shape, and construction, we can’t even think of how to improve our hydration belt to fit better. Fitletic’s belt design is the ultimate way to carry water, which adds a lot of weight, especially when the bottles are full. Dura-Comfort technology means we’ve found a way to make our belts both durable and comfortable—it’s simply the best way to wear hydration available today!
Grab Your Fitletic Hydration Belt and Get Running!
Whether you’re looking to increase your hydration during your runs or simply find a better running belt for your training needs, Fitletic’s hydration belts have everything you need when training for your next big race.
Hydra 16 Hydration Belt
Our Hydra 16 Hydration Belt takes the traditional style of a water-bottle-equipped running belt and elevates it with advanced features that distinguish Fitletic’s products. With an eight-ounce bottle and exterior energy gel loop on either hip, just strap on the Hydra 16 and you’ll be ready to go for miles—literally! If you’re looking for something with a little less weight, the Hydra 12 Hydration Belt holds two six-ounce bottles. “During the last few miles of a race it’s so critical to have hydration with me every step of the way. I’ve bonked on a race before and it’s the worst feeling ever. Thanks to Fitletic, I had some extra gels packed in my hydration belt that saved me so I could finish another race!” – Nathan Maxwell
Fully Loaded Water and Gel Belt
We get it, carrying water on your run isn’t always your top priority. Sometimes carrying other items—like energy gels—is more important. If replenishing your carbohydrate stores is a higher priority during your mileage, consider Fitletic’s Fully Loaded Water and Gel Belt. With a twelve-ounce water bottle on one side and four exterior energy gel loops on the other, this belt is perfect for those who need the gear to support their fuel intake. “Some ultraruns are easier than others. Having all my nutrition and hydration at my center of gravity allows my arms to help balance over precarious terrain. Knowing I have that extra gel or electrolyte easily accessible gives me peace of mind so I can concentrate on the task at hand.” – Rob Marens So, what are you waiting for? Grab one of Fitletic’s state-of-the-art hydration belts today!
It’s official – marathon season is officially here! From your local race in the city you live, to the World Major’s going on all around us, wherever you look there is marathon fever! 26.2 miles is no walk in the park though, and the right preparation could be the difference between having the race of your life to a very uncomfortable jog.
Running with your significant other can make your running trail more interesting and the roots of your relationship as strong as the ground beneath you. What holds couples back from running together? I often hear that running is thought of as a solo experience and always known as “me-time.” Can we change “me-time” to “us-time” without borrowing from the much-appreciated and valued alone-time experience? Runners often talk about the meditative aspect of the sport and how muting external noise helps to keep their heads clear. Whether it’s running in silence or to your favorite playlist, the sound is controlled. In order to combine the experience of moving meditation with the enhancement of your personal relationship, there should be a few things you and your partner are on the same page about. First, it’s quiet time for both of you. Perhaps if you can understand each other during the silence of your run, you can also understand each other during the sound of your conversations outside of running. What you strengthen in one space might lead to improvement in another, as long as you can agree beforehand that you’ll both take a similar approach and respect the boundary set. What comes easy in relationships tends not to last too long, and what lasts long may take some hard work and effort on both your parts. So instead of the sound of each other’s voices, you’ll embrace the other’s company in these ways: matching gear, healthy competition, simultaneously gaining endorphins, moving meditation, similar heart rates, and a chance to pick trails/runs you both like or have been wanting to do. Not only do you get the opportunity to work on self-love while you hit the pavement, you get to work on loving your favorite person even more than you already do. When the trail gets tough, you can empathize with your loved one beside you and how they may be struggling or conquering a new running goal. Being on the same wavelength as your partner may also elevate your mood…and matching gear might help. Leading busy lives can sometimes leave couples feeling distant from one another and this is the perfect opportunity to do something together while preparing together as well. All of our products at Fitletic are conveniently unisex, giving you and your partner the opportunity to pick matching items that will keep your mind focused on your experience as running partners instead of on your belongings. I suggest our Hydration Belts – the Hydra 12 or Hydra 16 belt for long-distance runners or the matching Surge running armbands if you two decide to listen to some beats while you run. If you prefer a running and travel waist belt, try out the Blitz, it even has an earbud port for easy access and listening purposes. If you’re looking for a way to bond with your mate this weekend, why not recommend going for a light jog — or if you’re both serious runners, a more endurance-focused run – together? Perhaps plan something for afterwards that you can both enjoy, like a nice home-cooked healthy meal, or a walk to a local juice bar to refresh and refuel. Whatever it is, try winding down together as well. I was once given some profound relationship advice that went something like, “Relationships have one law. Never make the one you love feel alone, especially when you’re there.” And that’s our case for running with your mate. Don’t forget to grab your favorite Fitletic accessories to gear up and go!
