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| Staying Healthy Your lifestyle can really help your body be in the best health to fight illness Get Enough Sleep Try not to burn the candle at both ends too often. Sure, you may have gotten away with partying hard at university, but chances are you didnft have to be at work by 8am then. Aim for a minimum of 8 hours sleep a night for optimum health. Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly Exercise helps increase the body's natural virus-killing cells. Walking for half an hour, four times a week is a good target to aim for as a minimum. If running by the river isnft your thing, ask other ALTs to recommend a gym, or check out the listings here. Or hit the slopes once the snow arrives. Of course, over-exercising isnft good for your body either. Super-athletes get more colds than normal. Eat a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables Aim for six portions a day or more for maximum health. Phytochemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pills, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits. Fruit and veg may be expensive in Japan, but your health is worth it. Eat Yogurt Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease. Get plenty of vitamins Eating a balance diet should provide all the vitamins and minerals you need. But if you want to take a supplement, they are widely available in pharmacies, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Just get a Japanese speaker to check the dosage for you first. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, and will linger in your body, causing damage if you overdose. Eat Japanese food No doubt youfve heard how wonderfully healthy a traditional Japanese diet can be. Well, itfs true. Of course, there are plenty of popular foods that arenft so great for you, like ramen, tonkatsu, etc. But there are also some gems out there. Click here for nutritional information. Don't Smoke Heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones. Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes the delicate hairs lining your nose and lungs which sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes. Cut Alcohol Consumption Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds won't leave your body as fast. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body - it actually takes more fluids from your system than it puts in. Tempting though it is to gget your moneyfs worthh at nomihodais, try not to go overboard too often! Relax Being under stress can double your chance of catching a cold. Remember that if you are feeling stressed there are lots of people you can turn to - talk to friends, drop by Shidoka, call the Peer Support Group. Ask for help when you need it, and try not to become isolated when the cold, dark days set in! Of course, although there are lots of fun things going on, therefs nothing wrong with taking some time out to relax when you need it. Make sure to get enough sleep and rest. |