5 Ways To Support Your Body After Illness
Recovering from an illness can be a long recovery. While there is no one right way to recover or a timeline you should stick to, focusing on your recovery can give you the best chance of returning to full health and getting your life back.
Illness can vary in severity and symptoms and impact your life differently. Your recovery will be unique to you, and while a set of guidelines can give you a path to follow, you will likely need to adjust it to make sure it works for you.
The following tips can help you to get back on track post-illness.
Good Diet
Your body needs a wide range of vitamins and minerals from your diet to support how it heals and repairs. Each different one has a different function within the body, but consuming healthy foods packed with vitamins and minerals will support your health better and give you the best chance of recovery possible. This article on restoring gut health after antibiotics can help you to support your body easily post-treatment.
Rest
Rest and sleep are important parts of the recovery process. You need to take your time getting back to your usual activities and push yourself too much, as this can set you back if your body isn’t ready for it. Build up slowly to get back to your usual lifestyle, and make sure you are getting good quality sleep each and every night. Aim for 8 hours of sleep per night to help your body repair and restore function so you can heal properly.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been proven to help our bodies fight illnesses, but we don’t produce it internally, meaning we need to get it from the environment and a diet. You can get vitamin D from spending around 15-20 minutes outside in the sun each day or from adding foods rich in vitamin D, such as oily dishes, egg yolks, red meat, and liver.
Exercise
It’s only natural that you won’t be up for spending hours in the gym pumping iron or heading back to that spin class. But all movement is exercise, so getting up and moving around will help you to recover faster. Go for a walk, do stretches in your chair, or try yoga and pilates for a gentle way to move your body during your recovery and support your journey to full health.
Get Support
Support can come and be offered in many different ways. From talking to your doctor about treatment plans going forward or recovery options to talking to a therapist to make sense of what has happened to you and what life holds for you now. It can even be confiding in friends and family and having them help out with day-to-day things such as chores, cooking, and even providing you with company.
To recover from your illness, you need to take the time to get used to your new normal and not push yourself too hard. Support your body with good food, movement, and plenty of rest to give yourself the best chance possible of returning to full health.