When I watch Cells at Work, I’m reminded of just how amazing our bodies really are. Though, how well our cells can work depends on how well we’re taking care of ourselves. So, here are some ideas on how we can take better care of ourselves and help our cells do their work to help us live better.
Get enough sleep.
When we sleep, we allow our bodies to repair themselves. Seeing as our energy and resources aren’t needed for systems that are functioning at higher levels when we’re awake, they now can be used for repair and maintenance. Everyone gets to work fixing up damaged tissues, removing toxins and doing general maintenance on our bodies.
To help yourself get to sleep, if you struggle to do so, you may want to consider creating an evening
routine that aids you in slowing down and preparing your brain for going to sleep. (Check out Thursday’s post for more on this.)
Balanced diet.
Making sure we eat a ‘balanced diet’ is important. Fruits and vegetables are packed full of nutrients and fibre that is important for the proper functioning of our bodies. Though, don’t over complicate what you eat. The best advice I can give is to eat a variety of things. Don’t get stuck on just one thing. ‘Team work makes the dream work’, as they say; likewise, no single food can give you all the nutrients you need to live a healthy life.
I highly recommend trying to include as much fresh fruit and veg as you can into your diet. Maybe try to challenge yourself to have a little raw veg before a meal to help you get started. Carrots, celery, cucumber, or anything that is your favourite veg that you can eat raw will do well.
To begin eating more variety, maybe challenge yourself to try one new fruit, veg or other food item once a week.
Fun Fact:
What we eat determines the health of our gut micro-biome. If we eat too many fatty foods (like fried foods), then the bad bacteria will take over. If we eat a varied diet, particularly one high in natural fibre from fruits and veg, our gut micro-biome will be healthy and balanced. Those Nyu-nyus (lactic-acid bacteria) love fibre so be sure to feed them well. ^-^
Hygiene.
White Blood Cell and his friends have enough trouble with all the random antigens we inhale and the ones that get in when we accidentally scrape our skin. Let’s not give them any extra work by not washing our hands (I’m sure everyone’s sick of hearing that one by now) or the rest of our bodies properly.
Good hygiene has many benefits. Besides making us feel clean and fresh, it’ll help minimise the number of nasty things that can grow on us. (Ew! What a thought!) Now, I’m not saying to go crazy with the cleaning supplies. Being too clean can be detrimental to our health too. Again, all about balance. Just bath or shower at least once a day, brush your teeth, wash your hair, keep under your nails clean and… wash your hands before you eat anything.
Exercise.
Getting regular exercise keeps everything working in our bodies. One thing it helps with is keeping our lymphatic system moving, thus keeping it clean. Isn’t this enough reason to get on and start exercising? Help White Blood Cell and the other lymphocytes get around our bodies quicker so that they can help keep our bodies clear of antigens. Personally, I picture a ‘clogged’/sluggish lymphatic system like the corridors we see in Cells at Work, but instead of being open and clear for our lymphocytes to get through quickly, they’ve now got to jump over or go around big boxes and other bits and pieces of trash that would have been removed from the system if we were helping keep it clean by taking care of ourselves.
Now, you don’t have to go to the gym for hours or anything. Literally a 5 minute walk (which can totally be on the spot) is great. I highly recommend trying to increase and improve your exercise routine as you get fitter and fitter, but that call is totally up to you. (I’ve found a really great walking exercise video on YouTube called ‘1.0 Mile Happy Walk’ and I highly recommend checking it out if you’re interested in a 15 minute walking exercise that you can do in the comfort of your own home. If you have trouble standing to do exercises or literally cannot stand due to being in a wheelchair or another similar situation, check out this group: Sit and Be Fit.)
Sunshine.
Besides being a source of vitamin D, being out in the sun actually can help our endocrine systems and help us sleep better at night. Try to get at least 20 minutes every day. Please note, you don’t have to be out in mid-day sun (you shouldn’t be; even on cloudy days). Try for morning or afternoon/evening sun to get your daily intake. (If you are able, you could even tick two health boxes and go for a walk outside; thus getting some exercise and some sunshine at the same time.)
Special Notes
In the Cells at Work anime, we see some specific effects on a particular cell and a particular system: NK and the secretion system.
For NK, we see how stress weakens her. To help her and her fellow NKs, we need to manage our stress and laugh! Playing a sport or developing an exercise and stretching routine may aid in managing stress. Getting enough sleep and the other tips we’ve already covered will help too.
For the secretion system, we see the effects of (fairly severe) dehydration. So, let’s not make our cells do a rain dance and make sure to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water and herbal tea without caffeine can help. Also, fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, pomegranates, oranges, cucumber, tart cherries, bananas, beets, strawberries, celery, mangos and lemons can aid in providing electrolytes. (This list was from TheHealthBeat.com)
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Well, that’s it from me for now. I hope this was an interesting read for you and that you’ve maybe been inspired to get healthy too. Though, if you’ve already got a handle on all of this, great job! Keep it up! I’ve definitely got to improve my efforts in most of these… The only one I think I have down pat is hygiene… While Cells at Work is definitely an inspiration to me to be healthy… I tend to slip a bit in my keeping up with or even getting started on those good healthy habits. I hope to do better in this coming year.
If you would like to learn more about nutrition and how our bodies work, here’s a link to a lady I’ve learnt a lot from: Mary-ann Shearer and, as always, if you have anything you want to say or ask, you can find my Contact details on the About page.
Until next time, keep enjoying your fan side of life!
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