Introduction
If you’re reading this well done for getting so far. I believe that it’s essential to look after our physical bodies and our mind. For many years I was just aimless and clueless and waking up every morning without a plan.
In 2016 I decided to make several changes to my life. The 7 things listed below are my favorites when it comes to making a difference to my health, mood and energy.
All seven have been proven by science to boost our immune systems and I hope that you find room for some of them in your life.
With Sincere Greetings,
Alan Twigg
I'll Send You a Free Copy of My AudioBook When You Sign-Up for My Health Newsletter
Last year I wrote, recorded and published an AudioBook called "And Suddenly, Everything Changed." It retails on Audible.co.uk for £13.79. I'm giving away limited copies because I'm building my health coaching business.
Strengthing Your Immune System
In March of 2016, I made a few simple changes that have had an amazing impact on my health and well being.
I’d just turned 50 and up until that point, I’d been leading a normal life and had never put much thought into what I could do to improve my health and life expectancy. Then, while on holiday, my daughter slapped down a book for me to read and said, “here you are Dad, I’ve bought this especially for you. Please read it”.
I was amazed, shocked but also inspired by what I read. It turned out to be a major turning point in my life (but that’s another story).
A few weeks later I was listening to an episode of the Rich Roll podcast from 2016 with Dr. Rohnda Patrick. They were discussing the link between immune system response and the things that you could do to improve significantly your body’s defenses.
Because I was on a new path, I decided to incorporate them into my life. Although simple, they have led to real improvement in my digestion, mood, energy levels and my immune system. I’ve not had so much as a cold in the past 4 years.
These 7 things have made a huge difference to the quality of my life and I really hope that after reading this you will be inspired to add these to your routine to enable your body to strengthen itself using the power of nature.
Photo: Alan & Lea Twigg
I Embraced Vegetables
Vegetables are much more powerful than you think. I used to believe vegetables only existed to decorate the meal plate and be a contrast to the main star of the meal, which was meat or fish. For me vegetables were just boring. They tasted bland and were unimportant.
But I was very wrong. They contain fibre (see below), which is probably, without doubt, the most important nutrient you can eat. But guess what. Fibre is only found in plants!
Over the past four years, I’ve discovered several remarkable things about vegetables. Firstly, they can be delicious. Secondly, there are many more varieties than I ever imagined and, thirdly, they make you feel great.
Do you have digestion problems? Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and your digestion will purr like a the finely tuned engine of a formula 1 racing car.
In 1999 a study was carried out to find out how brightly coloured vegetables affected the immune system. For the first two weeks of the trial, the subjects were not allowed to eat fruits or vegetables. After that, they were asked to drink a cup and a half of tomato juice every day for two weeks.
Then the following two weeks they were asked to switch to carrot juice and the for the final two weeks of the trial they were asked to drink spinach powder for two weeks.
For the first two weeks, when the subjects were asked to cut out fruit and vegetables, the effectiveness of their immune system dropped. As soon as they introduced the tomato juice the effectiveness returned. The same was true for the carrot juice and the spinach.
There are many other studies that have shown a clear boost to the immune system from eating vegetables. The brighter the colour of the vegetable, the better.
I Improved My Sleep
In the past four years I’ve discovered some very interesting facts about the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. I mean, we all know when we’ve slept well, we just feel better. Good quality sleep will reduce stress levels, improve your memory, lower your blood pressure, help your body fight viruses, help you maintain weight, put you in a better mood, help with diabetes and help keep your heart healthy.
There are several studies that have shown that not getting enough quality sleep can make us more vulnerable to viruses. Getting plenty of sleep will also improve the speed of recovery if you do become ill. Our bodies need sleep to boost our immune system to help fight off infectious diseases. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours per night.
After deciding to improve my sleep, I wanted to know what I could do on a practical level. I’ve tried these things and they work for me.
Get out in the sunshine. The more light you get during the day the better you will sleep. It’s especially important during early morning. If you can get out in the sun during the early morning this will improve your sleep.
Other things I now do to improve my sleep include not looking at a screen an hour before I go to bed, reducing my caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and completely in the evening, keeping my bedroom cool, making sure my bedroom is dark, removing all technology from the bedroom and trying to slow down and be calm before going to bed.
I Got Out in the Sunshine
Until recently, I didn’t understand just how important getting out in the sun can be. Sunlight has a massive influence on our health and well-being, it sets our circadian rhythm, manufactures our vitamin D, helps us to sleep better, improves our mood, boosts our energy levels and, importantly, reduces our risk of disease.
Just like the other things in this guide, I’d previously heard about the sun, but never really paid attention. Now I make sure that I get plenty of light and sunshine everyday wherever possible. It’s especially important early in the morning.
Scientists say that exposure to the sun helps to boost your immune system. Exposure to the sun stimulates the production of vitamin D, which has been proven to help boost the immune system. Researches at Georgetown University Medical Center also found that sunlight improves the movement of T Cells, which are a key part of the immune system.
Gerard Ahern, study’s senior author said, “There’s some connection between sunlight and human health, autoimmunity or even cancer.”
I Stopped Eating Meat
That meat is actually unhealthy was probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. I had no idea of just how bad it is.
In 2016 my daughter bought me a book to read and gave it to me on our family holiday. The title of the book was “How Not to Die”, by Dr. Michael Greger. This was no normal book. Everything inside the book is backed up with science. Every claim is backed up by real accepted and published scientific research.
Anyway, I found out that meat is linked to virtually every single chronic disease you can image, from heart disease to diabetes and from cancer to Parkinson’s disease.
My own father was diagnosed with heart disease aged 66 and ended up having a triple heart bypass. I didn’t want to suffer the same fate and so I decided right there and then to cut out all meat and dairy from my diet. I’ve never looked back. The best decision of my life by a country mile.
In a paper published in October 2003 by the University of California at San Diego they found that a molecule called Neu5Gc was causing a antigen-antibody reaction that may generate chronic inflammation, possibly contributing to the high frequency of diet related diseases. The thing is that this molecule is only found in animal products.
I Started Dancing
To be fair I didn’t start dancing to improve my immune system. I started to keep my wife happy. She persuaded me to go on a tango holiday in Italy, where we would take part in lessons for five days on how to learn Argentine tango. I had absolutely no idea how much I would come to love it.
After years of obsessively learning the music and dancing right across Europe, I think I know why it is so beneficial to my health. First of all dancing is like meditation. When I’m dancing with a partner, I have to listen to the music very intentionally to create the dance. It’s just amazing how when the dance is finished it really feels like I am waking up out of a trance.
I’ve since learned that dancing helps fight disease, that it has anti-aging benefits and actually improves balance and brain structure. Dancing lowers stress and depression and researches have found that we actually get a bigger release of endorphins when dancing compared to any other form of exercise.
Dancing also improves cognitive function, especially in the elderly. Dancing has even been show to reduce the risk of dementia by up to 76 percent.
We all enjoy music. What does that mean? I means, of course, that we were born to dance!
I Got Loads of Fibre
One of the most effective things you can do to boost your immune system, digestive system and overall health is to eat lots of fibre.
Most people think that protein is one of the most important nutrients, but fibre is probably far more important. Protein exists in virtually all foods. Have you ever heard of anyone with a protein deficiency? Really, you don’t have to worry about protein.
On the other hand, you should be making sure that you get enough fibre. Most people in the UK don’t get enough (the average intake is around 18 grams per day. The recommended average for adults is 30 grams.
A low fibre intake is associated with constipation and some gut diseases such as bowel cancer. A high fibre diet can help reduce cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes and can help protect against being overweight and boost your immune system. Not only that you’ll be far more regular and will feel much better.
Fibre can be found in fruits and vegetables, roots such as potatoes and beetroot. But the most fibre is found in legumes such as beans, peas and lentils and in whole-grain products
I Started Practicing Yoga
Four years ago, I went to my very first yoga class with my wife. I’m from Sheffield in the north of England and I never imaged that I would one day do yoga. But I was surprised. To be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about it, except that it involved stretching.
However, yoga is more than stretching. I remember feeling uncomfortable just sitting cross-legged, which I hadn’t done since school assembly as a kid. Our first session included deep-breathing, stretching and meditation.
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and soon we were going twice a week. I noticed that some of the stiffness that had crept into my middle-aged body was beginning to disappear and I was actually beginning to feel younger and more healthy. I now make sure that I do some yoga every day, it’s become an important part of my routine.
There is a lot of research that supports the claim that yoga reduces inflammation, which in turn boosts the immune system.
I love yoga because it is not very strenuous, but always leaves me feeling more energized and in a better mood. It’s also great because it can be done at any age. If you do take it up, I recommend finding a teacher that shows you how to breathe and to meditate because these are really important for getting the full benefit of the practice.
Other Things That I Did
I added the following foods to my diet:
- Garlic contains anti-viral compounds that effectively support immune cells to enhance their functioning.
- Ginger is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory that is packed with phytochemicals that help support the immune system.
- Miso is a fermented food that gains beneficial bacterias in the process that help enhance gut health. It is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and folic acid, nutrients that help you stay healthy!
- Curcumin has anti-inflammatory capabilities and can boost antibody responses.
- Carrots are packed with carotenoids!
- Berries of all kinds are loaded with flavonoids!
Supplements:
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Omega 3 fatty acids
About Me
I’ve been on a long journey.
I’m from Sheffield in the north of England, but that was a long time ago. In 1994 I met Susanne my wife and moved to Germany. Among many other things, I learnt German, had two children on top of the two I already had in Sheffield, built a house, sold a house, started several businesses sold another house and moved to Tenerife in 2012.
I now live in Tenerife, I speak three languages fluently, I play golf, dance Argentine tango, practice meditation and yoga and write books.
Alan Twigg
I'll Send You a Free Copy of My AudioBook When You Sign-Up for My Health Newsletter
Last year I wrote, recorded and published an AudioBook called "And Suddenly, Everything Changed." It retails on Audible.co.uk for £13.79. I'm giving away limited copies because I'm building my health coaching business.
Introduction
If you’re reading this well done for getting so far. I believe that it’s essential to look after our physical bodies and our mind. For many years I was just aimless and clueless and waking up every morning without a plan.
I’ve been amazed just how powerful a few simple changes can make. I hope this PDF finds you well and I sincerely hope that the tips inside will benefit you as they have me.
All the best,
Alan Twigg (Author of And Suddenly, Everything Changed)
.
Strengthing Your Immune System
In March of 2016, I made a few simple changes that have had an amazing impact on my health and well being.
I’d just turned 50 and up until that point, I’d been leading a normal life and had never put much thought into what I could do to improve my health and life expectancy. Then, while on holiday, my daughter slapped down a book for me to read and said, “here you are Dad, I’ve bought this especially for you. Please read it”.
I was amazed, shocked but also inspired by what I read. It turned out to be a major turning point in my life (but that’s another story).
A few weeks later I was listening to an episode of the Rich Roll podcast from 2016 with Dr. Rohnda Patrick. They were discussing the link between immune system response and the things that you could do to improve significantly your body’s defenses.
Because I was on a new path, I decided to incorporate them into my life. Although simple, they have led to real improvement in my digestion, mood, energy levels and my immune system. I’ve not had so much as a cold in the past 4 years.
These 7 things have made a huge difference to the quality of my life and I really hope that after reading this you will be inspired to add these to your routine to enable your body to strengthen itself using the power of nature.
I Embraced Vegetables
Vegetables are much more powerful than you think. I used to believe vegetables only existed to decorate the meal plate and be a contrast to the main star of the meal, which was meat or fish. For me vegetables were just boring. They tasted bland and were unimportant.
But I was very wrong. They contain fibre (see below), which is probably, without doubt, the most important nutrient you can eat. But guess what. Fibre is only found in plants!
Over the past four years, I’ve discovered several remarkable things about vegetables. Firstly, they can be delicious. Secondly, there are many more varieties than I ever imagined and, thirdly, they make you feel great.
Do you have digestion problems? Eat lots of fruits and vegetables and your digestion will purr like a the finely tuned engine of a formula 1 racing car.
In 1999 a study was carried out to find out how brightly coloured vegetables affected the immune system. For the first two weeks of the trial, the subjects were not allowed to eat fruits or vegetables. After that, they were asked to drink a cup and a half of tomato juice every day for two weeks.
Then the following two weeks they were asked to switch to carrot juice and the for the final two weeks of the trial they were asked to drink spinach powder for two weeks.
For the first two weeks, when the subjects were asked to cut out fruit and vegetables, the effectiveness of their immune system dropped. As soon as they introduced the tomato juice the effectiveness returned. The same was true for the carrot juice and the spinach.
There are many other studies that have shown a clear boost to the immune system from eating vegetables. The brighter the colour of the vegetable, the better.
I'll Send You a Free Copy of My AudioBook When You Sign-Up for My Health Newsletter
Last year I wrote, recorded and published an AudioBook called "And Suddenly, Everything Changed." It retails on Audible.co.uk for £13.79. I'm giving away limited copies because I'm building my health coaching business.
I Improved My Sleep
In the past four years I’ve discovered some very interesting facts about the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. I mean, we all know when we’ve slept well, we just feel better. Good quality sleep will reduce stress levels, improve your memory, lower your blood pressure, help your body fight viruses, help you maintain weight, put you in a better mood, help with diabetes and help keep your heart healthy.
There are several studies that have shown that not getting enough quality sleep can make us more vulnerable to viruses. Getting plenty of sleep will also improve the speed of recovery if you do become ill. Our bodies need sleep to boost our immune system to help fight off infectious diseases. The recommended amount of sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours per night.
After deciding to improve my sleep, I wanted to know what I could do on a practical level. I’ve tried these things and they work for me.
Get out in the sunshine. The more light you get during the day the better you will sleep. It’s especially important during early morning. If you can get out in the sun during the early morning this will improve your sleep.
Other things I now do to improve my sleep include not looking at a screen an hour before I go to bed, reducing my caffeine intake, especially in the afternoon and completely in the evening, keeping my bedroom cool, making sure my bedroom is dark, removing all technology from the bedroom and trying to slow down and be calm before going to bed.
I Got Out in the Sunshine
Until recently, I didn’t understand just how important getting out in the sun can be. Sunlight has a massive influence on our health and well-being, it sets our circadian rhythm, manufactures our vitamin D, helps us to sleep better, improves our mood, boosts our energy levels and, importantly, reduces our risk of disease.
Just like the other things in this guide, I’d previously heard about the sun, but never really paid attention. Now I make sure that I get plenty of light and sunshine everyday wherever possible. It’s especially important early in the morning.
Scientists say that exposure to the sun helps to boost your immune system. Exposure to the sun stimulates the production of vitamin D, which has been proven to help boost the immune system. Researches at Georgetown University Medical Center also found that sunlight improves the movement of T Cells, which are a key part of the immune system.
Gerard Ahern, study’s senior author said, “There’s some connection between sunlight and human health, autoimmunity or even cancer.”
I Stopped Eating Meat
That meat is actually unhealthy was probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. I had no idea of just how bad it is.
In 2016 my daughter bought me a book to read and gave it to me on our family holiday. The title of the book was “How Not to Die”, by Dr. Michael Greger. This was no normal book. Everything inside the book is backed up with science. Every claim is backed up by real accepted and published scientific research.
Anyway, I found out that meat is linked to virtually every single chronic disease you can image, from heart disease to diabetes and from cancer to Parkinson’s disease.
My own father was diagnosed with heart disease aged 66 and ended up having a triple heart bypass. I didn’t want to suffer the same fate and so I decided right there and then to cut out all meat and dairy from my diet. I’ve never looked back. The best decision of my life by a country mile.
In a paper published in October 2003 by the University of California at San Diego they found that a molecule called Neu5Gc was causing a antigen-antibody reaction that may generate chronic inflammation, possibly contributing to the high frequency of diet related diseases. The thing is that this molecule is only found in animal products.
I Started Dancing
To be fair I didn’t start dancing to improve my immune system. I started to keep my wife happy. She persuaded me to go on a tango holiday in Italy, where we would take part in lessons for five days on how to learn Argentine tango. I had absolutely no idea how much I would come to love it.
After years of obsessively learning the music and dancing right across Europe, I think I know why it is so beneficial to my health. First of all dancing is like meditation. When I’m dancing with a partner, I have to listen to the music very intentionally to create the dance. It’s just amazing how when the dance is finished it really feels like I am waking up out of a trance.
I’ve since learned that dancing helps fight disease, that it has anti-aging benefits and actually improves balance and brain structure. Dancing lowers stress and depression and researches have found that we actually get a bigger release of endorphins when dancing compared to any other form of exercise.
Dancing also improves cognitive function, especially in the elderly. Dancing has even been show to reduce the risk of dementia by up to 76 percent.
We all enjoy music. What does that mean? I means, of course, that we were born to dance!
I Got Loads of Fibre
One of the most effective things you can do to boost your immune system, digestive system and overall health is to eat lots of fibre.
Most people think that protein is one of the most important nutrients, but fibre is probably far more important. Protein exists in virtually all foods. Have you ever heard of anyone with a protein deficiency? Really, you don’t have to worry about protein.
On the other hand, you should be making sure that you get enough fibre. Most people in the UK don’t get enough (the average intake is around 18 grams per day. The recommended average for adults is 30 grams.
A low fibre intake is associated with constipation and some gut diseases such as bowel cancer. A high fibre diet can help reduce cholesterol, reduce the risk of diabetes and can help protect against being overweight and boost your immune system. Not only that you’ll be far more regular and will feel much better.
Fibre can be found in fruits and vegetables, roots such as potatoes and beetroot. But the most fibre is found in legumes such as beans, peas and lentils and in whole-grain products
I Started Practicing Yoga
Four years ago, I went to my very first yoga class with my wife. I’m from Sheffield in the north of England and I never imaged that I would one day do yoga. But I was surprised. To be honest, I knew absolutely nothing about it, except that it involved stretching.
However, yoga is more than stretching. I remember feeling uncomfortable just sitting cross-legged, which I hadn’t done since school assembly as a kid. Our first session included deep-breathing, stretching and meditation.
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and soon we were going twice a week. I noticed that some of the stiffness that had crept into my middle-aged body was beginning to disappear and I was actually beginning to feel younger and more healthy. I now make sure that I do some yoga every day, it’s become an important part of my routine.
There is a lot of research that supports the claim that yoga reduces inflammation, which in turn boosts the immune system.
I love yoga because it is not very strenuous, but always leaves me feeling more energized and in a better mood. It’s also great because it can be done at any age. If you do take it up, I recommend finding a teacher that shows you how to breathe and to meditate because these are really important for getting the full benefit of the practice.
Other Things That I Did
I added the following foods to my diet:
- Garlic contains anti-viral compounds that effectively support immune cells to enhance their functioning.
- Ginger is a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory that is packed with phytochemicals that help support the immune system.
- Miso is a fermented food that gains beneficial bacterias in the process that help enhance gut health. It is also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and folic acid, nutrients that help you stay healthy!
- Curcumin has anti-inflammatory capabilities and can boost antibody responses.
- Carrots are packed with carotenoids!
- Berries of all kinds are loaded with flavonoids!
Supplements:
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Omega 3 fatty acids
About Me
I’ve been on a long journey.
I’m from Sheffield in the north of England, but that was a long time ago. In 1994 I met Susanne my wife and moved to Germany. Among many other things, I learnt German, had two children on top of the two I already had in Sheffield, built a house, sold a house, started several businesses sold another house and moved to Tenerife in 2012.
I now live in Tenerife, I speak three languages fluently, I play golf, dance Argentine tango, practice meditation and yoga and write books.
Alan Twigg
I'll Send You a Free Copy of My AudioBook When You Sign-Up for My Health Newsletter
Last year I wrote, recorded and published an AudioBook called "And Suddenly, Everything Changed." It retails on Audible.co.uk for £13.79. I'm giving away limited copies because I'm building my health coaching business.
Alan Twigg
Twigg UG
Burgstraße 8
D-26655 Westerstede, Germany
T +49 (0)4488 / 520 39 83
alan@twigg.de
alantwigg.org