Several viral infections typically affect the respiratory system including the nose and throat with symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, fever, generalised body aches, headaches, and weakness but good immunity plays a major role in protecting a person against viral while one must restore their constitution by bolstering their immunity once again after a bad viral attack.

There are numerous ways for each member of the family to strengthen their immunity while healing and rebuilding their constitution following severe viral illnesses like Influenza A.

Dr Priya Aggrawal, General Practitioner at Humm Care, revealed in an interview that a healthy lifestyle, a nutritive diet, good sleep, an aerated environment, good hand hygiene, and a consistent intake of natural supplements are excellent ways to rebuild one’s constitution and immunity after a bad viral infection. According to her, some natural supplements that may increase your immunity include Vitamin D, C, B-complex, and trace minerals.

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C is a well-known and effective antioxidant that aids in the development of a healthy immune system. Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, tomatoes, berries, kiwi, papaya, and spinach are excellent sources. To keep infections under control, a daily intake of 1-2gm of vitamin C is recommended.

Vitamin D 

Vitamin D – It aids in the reduction of inflammation in our bodies, and the most incredible sources are fatty fish, eggs, mushrooms, milk, and milk products. Sunlight also plays a significant function in vitamin D absorption. Make an effort to spend at least 15-20 minutes a day in the sun. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 1000-4000 IU. Zinc is a tissue barrier for infections, and the best sources include beans, nuts, eggs, walnuts, and almonds. 30mg is required as a daily dose.

Vitamin E 

Vitamin E is also a powerful antioxidant, with high oxidant capabilities against free and damaging radicals that attack our immune system. Nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and green vegetables are the best sources of vitamin E. The daily dosage is 1000mg.

Natural supplements

Natural supplements like fresh and raw garlic, berries, liquorice, star anise, cinnamon, honey, and eucalyptus can also be incorporated into your diet to help rebuild your constitution. Supplements are used to fill up the gaps in our diet; do not rely completely on supplements. They are not the main source of infection. Ask your healthcare practitioner before taking any natural supplements, since certain supplements may conflict with certain drugs.

Certain natural supplements, too, require proper dose and should be taken in moderation; otherwise, they may have adverse effects on our bodies.”

Dr Lesley Braun, Global Director at Blackmores Institute, agreed that one of the greatest methods to help develop immunity against infections is to utilise natural supplements. “Fish oil, vitamin D3, and black seed oil are some of the fantastic alternatives that may boost your health and well-being,” she said. Fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are proven to be good for your general health.

Omega-3 fatty acids can assist to decrease inflammation throughout the body, lowering your chance of getting ailments. Vitamin D3 is essential for immune system health. This vitamin, in addition to its well-known advantage of assisting the body in more efficiently absorbing calcium, serves to regulate the immune system. Another wonderful alternative for immune system wellness is black seed oil. This oil includes thymoquinone, an antioxidant that has been demonstrated to be useful in aiding in the prevention of certain ailments.”

Four people in India have contracted the same subvariant, but that isn’t cause for alarm, according to health officials and experts. The infection rate of Omicron BF.7 is higher, and it is not easily detected via RT-PCR. Those who aren’t immunized, have a weakened immune system (such as young children, the elderly, or pregnant women), or have other health issues are more likely to contract the disease.

Is the Omnicron BF.7 more deadly than other bacteria?

“With the arrival of the new Omicron BF.7 virus, people have started feeling cautious and vulnerable to the symptoms of this infection. As the new sub-variant is highly transmissible and has shown signs of overriding the built-up immunity of the previous variants, it has become one of the most dangerous forms of Covid yet. The symptoms of this variant are similar to those of an earlier Covid infection, like fever, cough, sore throat, weakness, nausea, and diarrhea. However, it is important to understand what kind of cough or sore throat symptoms could mean exposure to this virus,” says Dr Deepak Verma Consultant – Internal Medicine, Manipal Hospitals, Ghaziabad.

Long Covid, which is defined by the US Centers for Disease Control as “a constellation of other debilitating symptoms,” has no medically recognised cure. It involves symptoms such as cognitive fog, muscle soreness, and exhaustion that might continue months after a person recovers from an illness.

According to studies, using Covid can promote depression and raise blood glucose levels to the point where people get diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal illness frequent among people with Type 1 diabetes.

For instance, a person may not become ill as a result of Covid-19, but they acquire diabetes six months later, long after the cough or fever has subsided.

Exercise can be beneficial. Exercise reduces inflammation, which is linked to high blood sugar levels and the development and progression of diabetes and clinical depression.

We all know that physical activity is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. Exercise can be utilised to disrupt the chain reaction of inflammation that leads to elevated blood sugar levels and, eventually, the development or advancement of Type 2 diabetes, according to this study.

Covid’s influence on heart health may be mitigated by exercise. Palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, and shortness of breath are all frequent symptoms in long-term Covid sufferers.

The question is, how much exercise is sufficient?

You don’t have to run or even walk a mile at a fast pace to have a good workout. Walking slowly is also a form of exercise. In a perfect world, you’d exercise for 30 minutes. If you just have 15 minutes to spare, split it into two 15-minute sessions. Do it even if it’s only for 15 minutes once a day. The most essential thing is to give it your all. It makes no difference where you start. You can progressively increase your exercise level to the suggested level.

After the government imposed its first set of confinement regulations in summer 2020, the bulk of us were confined to our houses to work (and play). According to the standards, people should stay at home as much as possible and only leave for grocery shopping for daily essentials, going to work if you can’t do so from home, meeting a support or childcare bubble, and exercising once a day, as gyms and leisure centres closed their doors.

As a consequence, we turned our living rooms and bedrooms into mini-gyms equipped with skipping ropes, yoga mats, and dumbbells.

HIIT Workout

During the lockdown, interest in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) increased by 60 per cent. This is on top of its recent meteoric rise in popularity.

There’s no denying it: HIIT workout high-intensity interval training) has rekindled our love for us during the lockdown. HIIT isn’t a new craze, but it’s proved to be the most convenient thing for most of us to do at home (albeit the amount of jumping around necessary definitely won’t impress your downstairs neighbors).

HIIT workout is a fantastic method to work up a good sweat in a short amount of time. We should expect these programs to continue popular, especially since gyms are aiming to prevent the transmission of viruses when they reopen — and HIIT workout tends to have minimal or no gear.

What do you do in HIIT workout?

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is difficult, as the name suggests. It takes your workout routine to the next level by pushing your pace beyond your personal bubble. HIIT can be used with any sort of aerobic training, such as jogging, stair climbing, rowing, or jumping rope.

You’ll break a sweat quickly by working at a high-intensity level for a short length of time, followed by the next round of high intensity. That method might save you time since you don’t have to work out as long as you would if you maintained a consistent pace.

You will lose weight, gain muscle, and increase your metabolism. There’s also a post-workout benefit: your body will continue to burn calories for roughly 2 hours after you exercise.

Why HIIT?

Quick Weight Loss

If you want to lose a few pounds faster but don’t have time to go for runs or spend hours on cross trainers, HIIT is the answer. This form of training has been shown to efficiently burn fat, including visceral fat, which covers organs and can have a major negative impact on your long-term health.

Metabolism Boost

A faster metabolism can aid you in a variety of ways. Not only is it less probable for you to put on weight if your metabolism is running properly, but a sound metabolic system may also remove toxins from your body more rapidly and, as previously noted, burn calories long after your HIIT workout is over.

Quick Efficient Workouts

HIIT exercises are short. Even the lengthier bouts are usually no more than half an hour-long, making HIIT an ideal workout.

Anytime, Anywhere

The greatest feature about HIIT workout is that it doesn’t involve much – or any – apparatus. It may also be used in a variety of disciplines: if you already have a treadmill or an indoor exercise cycle, you can undertake an HIIT session in any of them.

Burpees, jumping jacks, and mountain climbers, on the other hand, do not necessitate any gear. You may do them whenever you want, in your living room, a hotel room, or on the street.

Excellent Oxygen Consumption and Good Heart Health

If the benefits listed above aren’t enough to persuade you, consider this: In just a few weeks, HIIT workout may drastically increase the aerobic capacity of your muscles. Normally, extensive periods of moderate-intensity cycling or running would be required to enhance VO2 max levels over time, but with HIIT, you only need to undertake 20 sessions, four to five times per week, to dramatically build muscle mass.

1. You’re always thirsty.

In a 2018 study, it showed that those who consistently slept six hours a night or less had a 16 to 59% higher chance of being dehydrated than those who regularly clocked eight hours. The researchers said a hormone called ‘Vasopressin’ might explain this strange side effect. Insufficient sleep seems to hinder this hormone’s ability to do its job of regulating fluid levels in the body.

2. You fall asleep super quickly.

While lying awake with racing thoughts is no fun, falling asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow isn’t the goal either. Ideally, you want to fall asleep within five to 10 minutes of closing your eyes. Dozing off within this time frame is a sign that your body and mind are ready for sleep but not completely exhausted. Experts say If it takes you less than five to fall asleep—your body is trying to tell you that you’re extremely sleep-deprived.

3. You have a low sex drive.

Sex drive is largely dictated by hormones, and a lack of sleep can throw those hormones off. One study found that poor sleep can reduce the level of testosterone in particular: a sex hormone that gets both men and women in the mood. Hormonal imbalances can also make it more difficult to fall and stay asleep, potentially leading to a cycle of sleepiness (and sexlessness).

4. You easily fall into negative thought patterns.

When we get a bad night’s sleep, sour moods often follow. One small study in Clinical Psychological Science found that those who were sleep-deprived experienced, on average, 50% more unwanted thoughts than those who had a normal night’s sleep the next morning. Alternatively, getting enough rest seems to promote a positive mood and support our capacity for mindfulness.

5. You always crave sugar and carbs.

When we’re not getting enough sleep, it can stimulate hunger for certain types of foods. Poor (or lack of) sleep affects your hypothalamus, the master control center in your brain of hormones like cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. When these hormones are out of balance, it can trigger sugar and carb cravings, making you more likely to choose foods that create gut imbalances.

6. Your workouts feel more challenging than usual.

Sleep is when our bodies recover from the demands of the day so when we don’t have enough of it, we can’t operate at our best physically. If your workouts feel more difficult by the end of the week, it could be a sign that you are sleep deprived. Try getting an extra 30 minutes of sleep every night. You might be surprised just how much better you will feel.

Sleep is nothing to snooze on, and those who don’t get enough of it will struggle in more ways than one. Deep, high-quality sleep can pay dividends for everything from your mood to your sex drive. It’s a gift to yourself that’ll keep on giving long after the alarm goes off.

The effect of Covid-19 varies from person to person. Some might feel mild symptoms or not feel any symptoms at all, while for some the disease may be fatal. “If symptoms are mild and limited to the upper respiratory tract (cough, runny nose), then light to moderate exercise might be beneficial. More intense exercise should be avoided during covid infection, even if symptoms are mild, as higher-intensity exercise can temporarily reduce immune function, which would not help one combat the virus,” explains Alexander J. Koch, professor and program coordinator for Exercise Science at Lenoir-Rhyne University, North Carolina, US.

Once you have recovered from Covid-19, you can plan working out again. As much as it is important to exercise and continue being fit once you’ve tested negative, you need to remember and follow certain health rules. The first and foremost is not exerting yourself beyond what your body permits. Remember that even if the symptoms were mild or none at all, you have just regained the energy and you need to be cautious about your muscles as well. Secondly, it is best to consult your physician and take into consideration the level of workouts recommended by them.

According to Namita Piparaiya, a yoga and Ayurveda lifestyle specialist, and the founder of Yoganama, yoga is an excellent aid during the recovery process, because it helps to boost energy. Even attempting half the moves will make you more mobile, which is always good after long periods spent lying in a bed.

To begin with working out again, here are a few asanas that you can follow:
– Preparatory asanas (5-10 minutes)
– Cleansing breathing kriyas (2-3 minutes)
– Pranayama (5-15 minutes)
– Meditation (10-20 minutes)

Post-COVID period is not for training hard, rather it is time to train smart. If you get down from 40 push-ups to 4, it’s okay. Your body needs time to gain back the strength and you need to respect that. Once your body is adjusted to the yoga routine, you can switch to low intensity aerobic exercises. Begin with stretches following jumping jacks, kneeling reverse leg lifts, lunges, side step squats, side leg raises, single leg runner, warrior jacks and bird dog for 40 seconds each. You can also do a plank for 30 seconds if your body allows. Make sure you cool down with light stretches post this work out. Along with that, notice your heartbeat and make sure it doesn’t shoot up. If it does, rest more in between exercises.

After this phase of about 7 days and when fatigue level is normal, you can return to your regular exercise pattern. People have returned to more strenuous exercises after recovering from Covid-19, but remember to be patient as your body gets back to normal after fighting the infection. This is not to say you cannot return to your old lifting and strength training exercises, but take your time with this and be grateful to your body for the fight it puts up and focus on convalescing.

It is important that you seek medical advice in case of any abnormal shortness of breath for a given activity level, or return of symptoms including temperature, lethargy or chest pain. Monitor your mood. If you feel more anxious, down or low, speak to someone, and stay as healthy as possible.