Summer is looking very different than expected. It is also more important than ever to watch your health and keep an eye on the state of your immune system. Of course, not only now with the corona states, but also so that you are well protected against disease in general. A well-functioning immune system ensures that you belong to that group that has little to no exposure to viruses, unlike people with weakened immune systems.
The great thing is that you can do a lot about this yourself! The coronavirus is not the only health risk. In this article, you’ll find some risks to watch out for and tips for a healthy summer, so you can continue to enjoy all the beauty as well as be less likely to get sick during flu season in the fall.
Health risks on vacation
There are often all kinds of health risks attached to a long-distance trip. You pay a little less attention to your food intolerances, which means you can ingest nutrients that you react badly to. Or you eat worse, not getting enough proper nutrients.
Maybe then you won’t use supplements, whereas now you do, and you will drink (more) alcohol. Moreover, not every country is as clean as the Netherlands: not all water is equally drinkable, and even if you don’t drink it but use it to wash dishes, you can still ingest harmful bacteria. In short, many causes that may be lowering your immune system.
Paying attention during home vacation
This summer is likely to look different than expected. Many people exchange their vacation to a faraway place for some time out at home. Compared to a faraway trip, a vacation destination in our little country such as a campground seems very innocuous. It is often incredibly cozy because everyone comes for the same purpose: a relaxing and fun time during the vacations. Still, it is good to keep in mind some health risks even when camping.
Preventing discomfort
When camping, you often don’t have access to a full-sized refrigerator. The shelf life of products such as milk, meat and eggs is shorter than if you kept them in the refrigerator. Also, you don’t use a washing machine.
Frank Jonkers of BodySwitch Heemskerk often sees people returning after a vacation with all kinds of abdominal complaints or unexplained symptoms that can ultimately be traced back to intestinal problems or due to improper nutrition or bacterial/parasitic infection. You can avoid this by thinking about it in advance. ‘You can do a lot to prevent discomfort. Consider supplements such as probiotics, which can already make a big difference.
Also consider certain supplements to take preventively to avoid intestinal problems. Probiotics is one, but other supplements to fight or prevent infection are also important. In fact, it is a must to have these with you. There are so terribly many types of probiotics. And for this, it is always personal. Just swallowing something can be counterproductive.
So be well informed! Of course, it’s still important to eat healthy and pay close attention to your food intolerances even during the vacations so you can have more fun!
Tips for a healthy summer
Whether you stay on vacation in your own country or at home, it is always important to continue to maintain your immune system to prevent infection from harmful bacteria and viruses, among other things. You do this by paying attention to your diet, of which nutritional supplements are an essential part, as is lifestyle (no smoking, no alcohol), combined with adequate exercise and good sleep. Here are a few tips to get through the summer healthy:
- Keep moving. Warm weather and free time can make it tempting to spend a lot of time lying in the grass or on your couch. Still, exercise remains essential to your health. It even makes you a little less restless at those times when you do settle down on your couch.
- Keep an eye on your food. The best way is to pay particular attention to your shopping list. Is something not on your list? So don’t get it in the house! This will prevent you from snacking all day.
- Try to maintain your sleep pattern. One more episode, one more book to read, one more minute of chatting: all activities sometimes seem just a little more enticing when you actually have to go to bed. It’s only good for your body to maintain a normal sleep rhythm, even if you don’t have to go anywhere in the morning.
- Use the right nutritional supplements! I wrote articles about this before. This will always remain a personal story. What one person needs, another does not need. Would you like personal advice on this? If so, feel free to let us know.
Trouble though?
If you suffer from symptoms, this can ruin your vacation considerably. Many complaints have their origin in your diet, lifestyle or sleeping pattern.
In these cases, Frank Jonkers of BodySwitch Heemskerk can look for the cause of your symptoms through examination. For persistent or vague symptoms, he can use specialized laboratory testing to find out what the cause is so that the problem can be solved from the core. ‘Usually specialized stool and blood tests are part of the examination. This examination almost always reveals where the problem is, after which we give you a customized plan based on addressing the cause. You then get a pragmatic step-by-step plan to address the symptoms, based on facts. Frank Jonkers of BodySwitch Heemskerk has helped more than a thousand people this way.
Do you have persistent symptoms that won’t go away and want to finally address them? Then contact BodySwitch Heemskerk, Frank Jonkers!
Walking around with symptoms is often unnecessary. Also calculate your BMI.
