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Nutrition and dietary choices are always the most important and natural way we can obtain the most essential immune system vitamins our bodies need to remain strong and healthy. We must examine what we eat, such as whether we get enough whole fruits and veggies, proteins, legumes and grains which are good for immunity, before we can consider how any immune system supplements or immune boosters can benefit the unique functioning and genetic makeup of our individual bodies and metabolisms.

The second most important thing we must examine to determine if we can make changes that can enhance our immune health is our everyday activities and lifestyle choices. It is important to consider that exercise, emotional well-being, stress levels, and everyday habits all play a part in the functioning of our immune functioning. What you do everyday can either cause harm to your body, or naturally act as immune boosters to improve your overall health and well-being.

Getting exercise, even a thirty minute walk daily, finding quite time for yourself, having fun or just relaxing if you are going through a time of stress, and quitting bad habits like excessive sugar or caffeine intake, or smoking are some of the most important things you can do for your body.

If you are worried about getting sick or have an illness or disease and are looking for a remedy, there are lots of immune system supplements that are supported by research and considered beneficial for strengthening the immunity.

The most important and well known immune system vitamin is vitamin C found especially high in citrus fruits is an anti-oxidant the body needs; as a supplement, it is absorbed especially well by the body when combined with bioflavonoids.

The B vitamins also help support immunity. Vitamins B6 and B12, specifically, are the most important vitamins for the immune system. There is research that the B vitamins all work together, so you should consider the benefits of taking a B vitamin complex when this using this as a part of an immune system vitamins regiment.

Vitamin A is also an important immune system vitamin. An anti-oxidant, it protects against free radicals, and also helps keep the mucous membranes healthy.

Vitamin E is good for immunity and is an effective anti-oxidant. Vitamin E acts as a type of immune armour, as it makes its way to the surface of cells in the body where it works fight off harmful substances that have entered the body.

Zinc, an important mineral, is good for overall functioning of the immune system. It is especially useful for fighting off a cold and helps to maintain the healthy functioning of all cell membranes.

Other herbal vitamins and immune system supplements that are extremely beneficial in supporting immunity include echinacea which is good at the start of a cold, elderberry extract which also helps fight off colds, and probiotics which keep the intestine supplied with good bacteria, which are vital for the body. Also everyday foods such as garlic which is antibacterial and anti-viral, ginger which is an antioxidant and known to kill the cold virus, and lemon which has lots of vitamin C are known for their immune building properties.

Nutrition, daily activity, lifestyles habits, and immune system vitamins are all the main factors to consider when trying to achieve optimal immune health. Always consider the simple changes that you can make to your daily lifestyle first and then look for immune boosters and immune supplements that can be beneficial as an addition to a healthy lifestyle.

Can You Lose Weight Where You Want?

If you have excess weight only in specific parts of your body, you still must look at yourself as a whole. It's not possible to spot reduce; in other words, you can't dictate that you only want weight to come off one place or another. In most cases your so called "trouble spots" is where the fat will come off last, so be prepared to lose weight in your fingers (rings fall off) and your face (friends may ask if you're feeling all right) first. There is hope for losing that belly fat though.

Work Toward Building Muscle and Reducing Body Fat

If you work toward building muscle and reducing body fat you will eventually tackle those trouble spots though, and develop a better physique in the process. Muscle tissue is active meaning it requires calories to be maintained. If you were stranded without a food supply, eventually your body would turn to its own muscle tissue as a source of nutrition first (muscles are protein) while saving the fat stores for last. Simply put, fat is nature's way of ensuring survival during times of famine. That's why the prevalence of heart failure kills someone who is severely malnourished. By building more muscle you become a more efficient energy burning machine which translates to mean you can eat more food! That to me is a good thing.

The More Active You Are, The More You Get to Eat!

That explains why some people can eat so much more than others yet not gain weight; your efficient energy burning friend simply has a greater proportion of muscle to fat than you. Muscle is more dense than fat. It's often said that a pound of muscle is heavier than a pound of fat, but the truth is a pound is a pound. What they mean is a one pound volume of muscle is a smaller package than a one pound volume of fat, or put another way, fat is billowy and fluffy while muscle is sleek and compact. Lady No. 1 weighs 120 pounds with 30% body fat so she has 84 pounds of lean tissue and 36 pounds of fat, while Lady No. 2 also weighing 120 pounds but at 18% body fat is carrying roughly 98 pounds of muscle and 22 pounds of fat. Would you rather be Lady No. 1 or Lady No. 2? Which do you think takes up more space, 22 or 36 pounds of fat? I'd say 36 pounds of fat would be a lot bigger package than 22 pounds.

How Much You Weigh is Meaningless

That is why body weight as a number by itself is meaningless, but your ratio of fat to muscle is very important and worth working to change. Strive to decrease your body fat and increase your muscle mass and you'll look better, you'll feel stronger and more energetic and you'll simply be healthier.

You can generally have your body fat tested at fitness centers and most gyms so ask about having it done. It's better to know you have 30% body fat and work to reduce it to 29, than not to know and only think in terms of body weight. Most people who think only of how much they weigh tend to do everything to reduce that weight, and it's usually at the expense of losing more valuable muscle.

The best way to increase muscle and decrease fat is through a consistent exercise program. Start at whatever is your beginning, but do start.

Begin with an overall body conditioning type exercise program, doing whatever you enjoy, whether it be a sport, gardening, weight lifting, biking, hiking, or any other activity. Any physical movement you do regularly counts as exercise even if it is doing laundry or taking out the trash. Get as much as you can out of every chore you do, and stop thinking of it as a chore but instead as an opportunity to move your body.

In the early 1900s a washing machine was a new invention. People used to wash their clothes by hand, and hang them outside to dry. Being a housewife was actually a pretty strenuous job. It's no wonder women were thankful for modern conveniences like automatic washers and dryers, but now we've come to where our daily activities are not taking our bodies at all, so unless we want to get fatter and fatter we must do something about it.

Get Fit and Belly Fat Disappears

It doesn't make sense to drive around and around in the parking lot looking for the closest space when you're on your way to run or walk on the treadmill. Why take the elevator five flights every day at work and then pay a monthly fee to do the StairMaster after work? What if we all started to notice that our world is full of exercise equipment.

We could become so much more fit if we'd just start to notice all the opportunities for physical movement we miss in the name of convenience. Look around and see if you can spot some exercise opportunities, and then get busy and get fit.

By Kathryn Martyn, M.NLP