FitView: Strengthen Your Immune System

By Efren Martinez

In past Fit Views, I often talked about what we need to do to build our body strength and our speed. Even what helps strengthen our hearts and lungs, but what about our minds? What about our immune system? Just before a couple of weeks ago when our government asked us to keep our gatherings no more than 250 people and before our Governor asked us to shelter in place, my gym suddenly had become very busy. Curious as to why I asked a few of the members if they were new to fitness. Many of them said not really, but it was more of a sense of necessity to workout to become healthier because of the pandemic. They all had the same goal and they wanted a stronger immune system. This is good thinking. Especially to be able to fight off any kind of sickness or even a virus.  Yes, working out will help you become healthier and have a stronger immune system over time, but it takes just that. Time. So let me give it to you straight. It doesn’t necessarily work that way so quickly. Just like you can’t expect to walk into a gym and walk out with a supermodel body after a 30-minute workout. Like I said it takes time and more so commitment with strict consecutiveness to see results. Yes! Working out will help you become healthier with a stronger immune system over time. Also remember it can actually tack your immune system if you hit the gym too hard and too soon.

How it generally works is that anytime your body has to heal itself, it pulls its own resources to do so. This is what happens when you are recovering from a hard workout, sickness or had a long hard day at work. Even the extremely toxic one to our immune system, stress.  In my own experience and research, I’ve learned that if you want to build your immune system it takes time just like sculpting your body at the gym. Results equal time with strict discipline and self-control on what and when to eat. Yes, what you eat and drink and the time of the day you are feeding your body nutrition can be just as important. Nutrition! That’s the big one when it comes to really strengthen your immune system. Over the years I have accumulated so much science in my fitness vault on all of this. So to make things easy I’ve put it in my Top 7 below for your “mind, body, soul & immune system.” and I’ve also added a vegetable juice concoction that I love and call “The Immune Blaster.”
Yes, I’m very much into juicing! Drinking this daily along with clean nutrition, your vitamins and eating your vegetables will help you achieve an ironclad immune system. Please friends, in today’s world it is the utmost importunacy to live the healthiest life we can live through fitness and nutrition. If you are new to fitness, please make sure you ease into it instead of hitting it hard like an Olympian right out of the gate and check with your doctor. Start with walking and advance slowly as your immune system learns to build up more easily and efficiently for its recovery after any given exercise.  

My top 7 for Mind, Body, Soul and your Immune System.
1. I build/sculpt my body by lifting weights.
2. I do cardio to strengthen my heart, lungs as well as to increases my endurance.
3. I stretch to keep my mobility, flexibility and reduce injury.
4. I study and read to keep my mind sharp and smart.
5. I rest my body with 8 hours of sleep so my body heals and recovers.
6. I worship and pray to enhance my faith and spiritual well being.
7. I eat and drink the cleanest foods to help ironclad my immune system against sickness, diseases, viruses, and stress.

The Immune Blaster
In your juicer, juice all these vegetables and stir with a spoon. Only drink in small amounts at first to start. Enjoy!
• Beet Roots – 4 beet (2″ dia) 246g
• Carrots – 2 medium 122g
• Celery – 2 stalk, large (11″-12″ long) 128g
• Parsley – 4 handfuls 160g
• Peppers (jalapeno) (seeds/ribs removed) – 2 peppers 14g each
• Radishes – 12 medium (3/4″ to 1″ dia) 54g
• Tomatoes – 4 plum tomato 248g
It won’t happen overnight, but over time it will happen. It’s a lifestyle of commitment and a huge part of self-disciple