Table of Contents
- The Global Pandemic Was Good for Personal Health
- 1. I Am Hygienic Without Being Too Fastidious & Assiduous
- 2. The People Around Me Have Social Distancing Scarred into Their Memories
- 3. I Eat Fruits & Vegetables & Exercise Regularly To Avoid Getting Sick
- 4. Myself, My Friends and My Wife Are Taking a Break from Alcohol
- 5. I Get Enough Sleep To Avoid Getting Sick
- 6. We Rarely Handle Cash Money Anymore
- 7. I Wash My Hands More Than Most People
- 8. My Family & I Were Around Kids During the Lockdown
- 9. Nobody I Know is Sick
I won’t be getting sick any time soon.
Illness and sickness have been a significant talking point surrounding many concerns in 2020. Global pandemics, adapting hospitals and businesses, and regular people like you and me trying to make sense of it all. There is something you should know:
The Global Pandemic Was Good for Personal Health
There I said it. First we are shown on every channel there’s a pandemic, then lockdowns, and of course death…(queue ominous music).
The thing is, people immediately started social distancing and hygiene awareness became trendy.
Speaking of which, and before I forget, here are 11 Ways To Dramatically Improve Health During A Pandemic.
That said, here are nine reasons why I personally will not be getting sick any time soon.
1. I Am Hygienic Without Being Too Fastidious & Assiduous
My family I were already pretty hygienic before the most recent global pandemic. We do not spray disinfectant everywhere, and I am not a germaphobe. I wash my hands after various tasks throughout the day. As a result, I’m exposed to a fair amount of bacteria so my immune system stays healthy. The trick is to avoid exposing myself to so much filth that I become acutely ill.
With all of the craziness surrounding recent health events, I think many people forgot they have an incredibly advanced natural defense system – the immune system. Heard of it?
Germaphobes are the most likely to become ill. Their immune system is not getting a regular workout, which means they are more susceptible to acute illness whenever exposed.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t put myself in danger with silly hygiene practices; like not washing my hands after handling meat, or using the restroom, but on the other hand I am not washing my hands every time I pat the dog on the head [1, 2, 3, 4].
2. The People Around Me Have Social Distancing Scarred into Their Memories
People don’t want to get sick, and are less tactile and touchy-feely and are watching where they breathe, because they have harsh memories of recent panic and stress. The memory of forced social distancing is likely keeping people healthier.
The memory of social distancing will eventually fade. While it’s here, it more than likely keeps people from becoming acutely ill. In 2020, the idea of somebody doing a European cheek kiss is unthinkable. Leaning on counters where hundreds of other people have leaned in a McDonalds – currently taboo. Maybe I will get cooties once the memory of social distancing has disappeared, but until then, I feel pretty safe from other less hygienic people.
But, that’s not to say I freak out when somebody gets closer than 6 feet away from me, because I don’t. Again, it comes back to that natural defense system we all have [5].
3. I Eat Fruits & Vegetables & Exercise Regularly To Avoid Getting Sick
Most people fail to eat enough fruits and vegetables which is a shame because they contain micronutrients the human immune system requires. I have been eating a healthy amount of fruits and veggies while maintaining a regular exercise routine.
Not to push any sort of health agenda, but what they say about eating right and exercising is true. I have not neglected myself, and I feel stronger. There have been times when I have been super tired and have had a sniffle or two just recently, and in the old days my sniffle would signal the onset of a cold or a week-long cough. But, these days I can sleep off a sniffle in one night, and I am pretty sure it is because I eat fruit and exercise [6].
4. Myself, My Friends and My Wife Are Taking a Break from Alcohol
Alcohol takes a significant toll on the human immune system and increases your odds of getting sick. Since the pubs have been closed since the lockdown, and since people have not been coming round for drinks, my immune system has been able to remain strong.
I never believed the propaganda that alcohol harms the human immune system until the lockdown started in 2020 and I went months without drinking.
My immune system improved on all levels, from having fewer bouts of feeling drained, to having less intestinal distress. What I discovered was that the body has a hard time processing alcohol. It requires a lot of micro and macro nutrients that are difficult to recover. This depletion means there are fewer nutrients kicking around to re-enforce your immune system, ergo drinking alcohol harms your immune system (albeit in a roundabout way) [7, 8].
5. I Get Enough Sleep To Avoid Getting Sick
Sleep is a big factor with regards to the human immune system. Getting too little sleep is like inviting illness. I get plenty of sleep wherever I can. In fact, I can honestly say that of all the things on this list, a lack of sleep is probably the fastest way I become ill. For some reason, when I have not had enough sleep, I get colds, coughs, feeling drained, headaches, migraines, and I have even gotten stomach trouble from pork and fish.
I am sure I am not the only one who seems to slowly break down if he/she does not get enough sleep. What is worse is that if I mix in tiredness with a poor diet and lack of exercise, I not only make myself more susceptible to illness, but I also experience massive lack of energy and attention span. I was so worried about this that I took a diabetes test to see if it was something more sinister, but it turns out that lack of sleep was my biggest problem [9, 10].
Here are my 3 Little Known Tips To Immediately Improve Sleep.
6. We Rarely Handle Cash Money Anymore
In my area, handling cash money was banned. The weird thing is that now the lockdown is over, both myself and the people I know do not handle cash. Even if I take the bus, I can pay with my phone.
The world has changed so much that maybe I will not have to touch cash money again until I go on holiday and try the slot machines, or buy an ice cream, or go to an outdoor festival. Until that point, I think I can live without having to touch cash money for a long time [11].
7. I Wash My Hands More Than Most People
I am not obsessive about it, but I do wash my hands frequently, and dirty/contaminated hands are the most common reason for illness. When I was a teen, it was washing my hands that cleared up my acne. In fact, once I started washing my hands more often, I noticed that not only was my acne receding, but my general health seemed to improve.
Again, I am not a germaphobe, but washing my hands after eating, after using the toilet, and after changing a baby has always seemed smart anyway. However, I will also wash my hands after eating crisps, cleaning things, before using my keyboard, and so forth. As a result, I am not as sickly as I was when I was a teen [12, 13, 14, 15].
8. My Family & I Were Around Kids During the Lockdown
People are worried about second and third waves of COVID-19, yet the biggest threat to general health at the moment is children and ultimately hiding indoors. People have been indoors, away from good bacteria, sunshine and fresh air, and away from children for months. When they are finally reintroduced in social settings, the adults will have reduced immunity from child germs. I, however, have been around my family, been hiking regularly, and soaking up as much sun as possible, so I will be fine.
Child germs are not a myth, or a bad thing. Children are supposed to be covered in germs because it helps to mature their immune system. Kids don’t have the hygiene regimen adults have, so are more likely to accumulate a healthy batch of germs. People who are not around children all day are likely to succumb to these bacteria when they are introduced to children after a long time (a lockdown) of not being around kids.
Get outside, take your mask off, breath some fresh air, and produce some natural vitamin D [16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25].
9. Nobody I Know is Sick
Back before the lockdown and social distancing, I’d have friends here and there who were sick, and sometimes they would pass it on. However, at the moment, and for the foreseeable future, nobody I know is ill or sick in any way. Literally no one.
Pre 2020 lockdown, it seemed odd for somebody to say, “I am not going to get sick because nobody I know is sick,” but prior to 2020 we would hang around at work with people who have come in despite being ill. We would visit sick people, shake hands with people who have the sniffles, and hang around snotty-nosed kids all day.
Post 2020 lockdown, the idea of going near somebody who is even slightly ill with a cold is somehow unreasonable. Even with that point noted, I do not know anybody who is sick, and those that are sick are keeping themselves away and working to enhance their own immune systems [26].
Here’s how to never be sick again – 10 revealing insights to keep you healthy.
Health by choice, not by chance.
–David
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