Secrets of super-healthy people

Are you secretly envious of your colleagues and friends who, like superheroes, never seem to get sick? You know, the ones glowing with good health while everyone around them is sneezing, sniffling, coughing and generally feeling sorry for themselves.

Don't hate the healthy people. Instead steal the secrets of people who manage to stay healthy and take steps to boost your body's immunity.

Training for the body

Jennifer Cassetta, a martial arts instructor, claims she never gets ill, and neither do her father and grandmother, who also teach martial arts. “I believe it is the holistic approach to exercise that calms the mind and relieves stress,” she says. “And the cardio, strengthening and conditioning help boost the immune system.”

Cassetta says her health has changed dramatically since she started martial arts eight years ago. Before then, she was a smoking, take-away-every-night, caffeine-loving girl in her twenties.

“As I started to train, I started to change my habits drastically,” Cassetta says. Since she improved her diet, trained more and stopped smoking, Cassatta says that in her thirties she has more energy, looks better and feels stronger than ever.

One bout of vigorous exercise can increase circulation, says Dr Christiane Northrup, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. “Whenever circulation is increased, you get far more white blood cells,” she says. “They check for foreign germs and are far more apt to be able to gobble them up.”

The British Heart Foundation advises that exercise and a healthy diet at any age helps reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, helps control your weight and provides long term benefits to your mental and physical health. In short, regular exercise and a good diet will leave you feeling and looking great.

Pay attention to your mouth

NHS Choices advises you to brush your teeth twice a day (morning and evening) with the correct toothbrush and toothpaste, and to use floss and mouthwash at least twice a week. Having good oral hygiene will improve your dental health and, according to the British Dental Health Association (BDHA), will help fend off other health problems. The BDHA advises that poor oral hygiene and gum disease have been linked to more serious illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, strokes, lung disease, and premature and low-birth-weight babies.

An apple a day really works

Your mother may have been right when she said, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” A natural antioxidant called quercetin, found in red apples as well as broccoli and green tea, may give an immunity boost to individuals under stress.

In a study conducted by Dr David Nieman, professor at Appalachian State University in the US, results showed that only 5% of cyclists who took 1000 milligrams of quercetin every day for five weeks reported upper respiratory illness during a two-week period following extreme exercise, whereas 45% of the cyclists who took a placebo reported illness following extreme exercise. However there were no significant differences in measures of immune system function in the two groups.

Additionally researchers found that athletes taking the quercetin supplement maintained better mental alertness and reaction time over the placebo group. So stock up on those red apples and don’t forget to thank your mother for her advice.