Wednesday, March 18, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Luscutoff
Columnist
Building a
better immunity
The COVID-19 virus is
a public health scare that
has many people flocking
to their local bulk surplus
stores and cancelling travel
plans. It9s infecting people
with fear and will be upset-
ting a lot of people in the
next few weeks.
A healthy body can fight,
if not prevent, the virus from
taking hold 4 but there9s
little to no attention being
paid to supporting a healthy
immune system in the time
of clickbait news and sensa-
tional media.
Supporting a healthy
immune system is one major
reason why diet, exercise,
and healthy living are a core
value. The basic tenets of
immune support are diet,
exercise, and rest.
Ensure that the body
is being nourished with
healthy food. Protein is
vital to an immune sys-
tem. Too little protein may
lead to symptoms of weak-
ness, fatigue, apathy, and
poor immunity. Get a good
amount of protein from lean
meats, beans, whole grains,
and dairy as part of a whole
foods meal plan.
Next with diet is the
micronutrients which sup-
port the immune system.
Micronutrients are vitamins,
minerals, and compounds
that are in food that support
a healthy body. For exam-
ple, deficient zinc, selenium,
iron, copper, folic acid, and
vitamins A, B6, C, and E are
shown to suppress immune
responses in animals. Most
of these are found in plants,
fortified whole grains, and
healthy fats.
A healthy immune sys-
tem can be supported with
a low-inflammatory diet.
A low-inflammatory diet
consists of minimally pro-
cessed foods, certain spices,
and reducing some foods
like red meat, dairy, and
sugar. Spices like turmeric,
ginger, and cayenne have
anti-inflammatory proper-
ties. Greens, berries, and
fish are great foods to lower
inflammation.
Exercise promotes
immune support but, there9s
a few considerations. A low
steady state endurance pace
will give the body a boost
in circulating fluids in the
body. It also supports white
blood cells and antibod-
ies against bugs. Too much
intensity or too much weight
will suppress the immune
system because the immune
system will respond to the
exercise making a person
susceptible to other infec-
tions. It9s recommended to
keep exercise in the moder-
ate intensity for steady state
endurance and use moderate
weight lifting loads. There is
no reason to forgo exercise.
Ensure the body is rest-
ing 4 not in the stereotypi-
cal sense of laying in bed all
day when ill, but in getting
outside, unplugging, and
doing things that relieve
stress.
Most of us aren9t get-
ting enough restful sleep.
Constant rumination about
the woes of life, electronic
messages and alerts, and
buzzing electronics have a
big impact on sleep qual-
ity. A good sleep routine
will help this. Turn down
lights when it9s dark, take
a walk and let the natural
cool air cool the body down
and relax. Do something
like read a relaxing book,
listen to music or podcasts,
or just take a moment to
reflect.
Another important
immune boost is getting out
in sunlight. It is theorized
that the flu season coincides
with the natural wane in
sunlight and our bodies lack
vitamin D. When flu season
is the most extreme, it is
also when vitamin D levels
are the lowest. Time outside
is the natural remedy, but
a supplement can also be
taken.
Perhaps this latest pan-
demic is a call to action.
It9s time to pay attention to
wellness, as resting on the
laurels of advances in public
health has failed.
DINING & TAKE-OUT
DREAMS: Virus
outbreak has scuttled
athletic events
Continued from page 7
the track and kissed it. An
unforgettable moment for all
who witnessed it.
Sadly, the boycott held
and McChesney9s Olympic
dreams remained unfulfilled.
He went to Europe to compete
and ran incredibly well, beat-
ing both the silver and bronze
Olympic medalists during the
course of the summer. A year
later at a race in Sweden, he
beat the Olympic gold medal-
ist from Ethiopia. He received
a gold Congressional medal
along with others who had
<qualified= but could not
compete.
But it wasn9t the same as
running in the Olympic final,
which he had long envisioned.
I knew McChesney
slightly during my college
years and would later have
the great fortune to coach
his younger brother Ken. It
still pains my heart to think
of what might have been for
Bill. He was one of the fierc-
est competitors I have ever
seen, along with being a fine
human being.
I am sure current Duck
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon9s
celebrated basketball star,
feels much the same as
McChesney must have, never
knowing if her Ducks would
have made it to the pinnacle
goal, the NCAA champion-
ship game this year.
Maybe it9s a little easier for
Ionescu understanding that it
is a global pandemic, rather
than a political decision, that
took away her dreams, but for
both these amazing Ducks,
Ionescu and McChesney, the
intensity of their competi-
tive hearts must also feel, and
have felt, tremendous disap-
pointment and grief. Just as
McChesney regrouped, I am
sure Ionescu will move for-
ward as a professional player.
I suppose we all have to do
some regrouping as we deal
with the challenges of our
present situation.
Here9s to giving it our best
in trying times.
MOW NOW
PAY LATER
until midnight every night
DEFERRED
INTEREST FOR
48 MONTHS.
Menu at SistersSaloon.net
541-549-RIBS
190 E. Cascade Ave.
CALL FOR
DETAILS.
Stop by our
showroom
in the heart of
Sisters...
wide selection,
friendly service!
541-549-4349 | 260 N. Pine St., Sisters
Licensed / Bonded / Insured / CCB#87587
9
RESIDENTIAL ZERO-TURN
GRAVELY MOWERS
ZT HD 44 / $ 4,999 | ZT HD 48 / $ 5,199
ZT HD 52 / $ 5,299 | ZT HD 60 / $ 5,399
Outlaw Owned & Run!
MARCH 20-28
MOW THE DISTANCE
PRO MOWER SALE!
SAVE UP TO 20%
On Commerical Gravely Zero-Turn Mowers.
Come in for pricing.
160 S. Oak St. | 541-549-1538
Fax 541-549-1811 | sisterspony@gmail.com
Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
at NuggetNews.com or at facebook.com/NuggetNews