You May Be Ignoring Your Best COVID-19 Defense. Our “Leaders” Certainly Are!

I don’t get it.

In all of the recommendations we are getting to avoid contracting COVID-19, have you ever heard one utterance suggesting consideration of “immune system competence?”

You know, like, putting your body in the best position to ward it off naturally before it can get a foothold.

I watch more Fox News and MSNBC than I should admit to. I flip back and forth between the two when I’ve become bored with Comedy Central and need a stronger hit of comedy.

Never, with all the Fauci’s and Birx’s and Pence’s that are building quite the brand for themselves have I heard one utterance like “folks, get your ass in shape. That’s the first and best front line defense against dying of this nutty stuff.”

Nothing from the CDC or WHO or AMA either.

It’s all about “duck and cover” – no prevention talk from this prestigious circle.

Well, I guess that would be too much of a shock for a culture looking for a quick fix, a drug, a magic elixir, and a nanny state to come up with one or all of the above.

Yep, my needle is stuck

If you’ve endured my articles for very long, you know I’ve kinda railed on this a few times. Look, we are walking around in an incredible 24×7 immune system of 35 trillion cells – give or take a few trillion – that has somehow been kludged together into a wondrous system fighting to keep us healthy.

We do a magnificent job of mistreating it.

The cells don’t ask for much – adequate oxygen and some good glucose and less adrenaline/cortisol/norepinephrine coursing through the bloodstream is good for starters.

Treat ’em right and they are inclined to return the favor with more energy, fewer infections/illnesses and, ultimately, a longer life without extended morbidity and early frailty.

But, shoot, that’s too easy.

It doesn’t fit our lifestyles. Or our healthcare system ’cause all it knows is cure -trying to catch the horse after it’s left the barn. Mop up the water but don’t turn off the spigot. If we can’t medicate it, well, there’s always the scalpel.

What’s that, your PCP asks? You’re asking if more exercise, sleep, less processed foods, more leafy greens/beans/avocados/nuts, meditation make sense?  Where’s the reimbursement in all that, he/she says? Here, try this (fill in here with the Fox News miracle drug of the day _________________) and call me if it doesn’t work.

OK, I’m 78 and I’m hallway-gurney-triage-fodder if I get this bug based on my age. Screw the good physical condition – you’re toast, gramps. Can’t waste a ventilator.

I’m nuts and arrogant enough to believe my physical condition would prevent that from happening. Nothing I’d like better than to be an example for immune system competence for septuagenarians should I get it. No, I’m not that ego-saturated that I’m going to come out of my “stay-at-home” and take the risk.

But, I am just a little miffed that we can’t mix in just a little bit of monologue or dialogue about the basic, no-cost/low cost/always available tools that can front-end this rascally bug.

Get-less-sick, need-less-care, get-back-to-work formula (these are copied – see below for attribution):

• Restorative sleep
• Strong hydration
• Nutritious food
• Regular exercise
• Avoid excessive alcohol (sorry folks, it’s oxidative)
• Avoid toxins
• Mental well-being
  • Calm reading, prayer, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, playing an instrument, listening to music, doing 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles (my wife does a couple a week), board games with your stay-at-home loved ones.

Now, that didn’t hurt, did it?

If these aren’t or haven’t been a part of your life, it’s probably too late to start today and expect it to build instant immunity to COVID-19. But how ’bout protection against the regular viruses that will continue to assault us or against the next pandemic (and there will be one).

Plus, what’s not to like about just flat feeling and looking better. And not having to unscramble the messages from our government and it’s media “friends.”

Oh no – another YouTube.

Yes, like you, I have some time that I’m filling with things I normally wouldn’t be doing. Like following some media trails I haven’t followed before.

I know you are getting besieged with tons of COVID-19 related info and, if like me, wondering what’s real, what’s fake, what’s politically motivated and shaky, what’s carrying more profit motive than not …….

Here’s a YouTube link to further clutter your inbox presented by a highly credentialed physician under the Singularity University banner that I found particularly informative because it succinctly covered  (if you can call 40 minutes succinct)  so much ground and touched so many different aspects of the coronavirus impact.

It’s also where I got the immune competence list above.

There’s stuff in here that I’d never heard before or would have ever thought about. You might find it worth the 39 minutes (or less at 1.25 speed).

Let’s renew our commitment to getting in shape.

Here’s a picture of my crowded “basement gym” which is getting lots of attention now as I continue my six-day-a-week aerobic and strength-training routine. It’s boring as hell and not the highlight of my day. But, you see, I’ve got this immune thing going that craves competence and has a big payoff.  It’s the least I can do.

I realize that’s not duplicatable in many homes, but you don’t need it.  Get reacquainted with that lost art of walking and use your own body-weight for resistance work until the rec centers and athletic clubs reopen.

Let’s stop being an easy, non-resistant target to the virus world. Perhaps this will be one of the many lessons we will have learned when we spin out of this.

And we WILL spin out of this!

Be safe – GET IN SHAPE.

Let me know your thoughts below with a comment or drop me an email to gary@makeagingwork.com.

I trust that you are being safe and sensible during these challenging times.  If you haven’t joined our growing list of readers, you can do so at www.makeagingwork.com.  Sign up for my weekly blog there and receive my free e-book “Achieve Your Full-life Potential:  Five Easy Steps to Living Longer, Healthier, and With More Purpose.”