Don’t Get Sick Before Your Presentation. Here’s How To Stay Healthy.
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You worked hard to secure a public speaking gig. Then you planned, prepared, and practiced for weeks. The night before your presentation you start sneezing and feel a chill run through your body. Hours later you wake up and realize your sniffles have turned into a full blown cold. Your eyes are puffy, your nose is runny, your head is hot, and you can barely move or think. It’s a cold, and it could ruin your presentation.
Stop this from happening. Don’t let a cold ruin all of your hard work. Boost your immunity in the weeks before your presentation to avoid getting sick before you take the stage.
Here are some immunity boosting tips for you to discuss with your doc – I hope they help you stay well so you can shine while on stage.
1. Eat
According to Harvard Medical School, researchers discovered that protein is an integral part of the production of immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody. To help your body fight off a virus or the common cold, eat healthy dishes chocked full of protein to keep your levels of antibodies elevated.
In addition to protein, Harvard Medical School and other medical experts also suggest eating foods high in these nutrients:
Vitamin A: A team of researchers from Purdue University found retinoic acid, a metabolite that comes from digested vitamin A, is necessary for two of the three types of innate immune cells that reside in the intestine to find their proper place, according to Purdue.edu.
Vitamin B2: Bacteria, not humans, manufacture vitamins, which is why we rely on our diet to provide vitamins. We have learnt that the manufacture of vitamin B2 or riboflavin, plays an extremely important and protective role in alerting the immune system to foreign bacteria, said Professor James McCluskey, an award-winning researcher.
Vitamin B6: A study published in ResearchGate reports animal and human studies suggest that vitamin B6 deficiency affects both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.
Vitamin C: According to OregonState.edu, when under stress a daily intake of 0.25 to 2 grams of Vitamin C per day can cut your chances of getting a cold in half. In addition, if you are already sick with a cold, ingesting Vitamin C can reduce the duration of your cold by 8%.
Vitamin D: Research from Boston University School of Medicine provides direct evidence that improvement in vitamin D status plays a large role in improving immunity and lowering the risk for many diseases.
Vitamin E: “Earlier studies have shown that vitamin E can help regulate the aging body’s immune system, but our present research is the first study to demonstrate that dietary vitamin E regulates neutrophil entry into the lungs in mice, and so dramatically reduces inflammation, and helps fight off infection by this common type of bacteria,” said first author Elsa N. Bou Ghanem, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar in the department of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM).
Zinc: According to Harvard Medical School: Zinc is a trace element essential for cells of the immune system, and zinc deficiency affects the ability of T cells and other immune cells to function as they should. Caution: While it’s important to have sufficient zinc in your diet (15–25 mg per day), too much zinc can inhibit the function of the immune system.
2. Drink
Opera singers, like public speakers, must stay healthy or risk ruining their chances for a winning performance. To keep yourself safe from sickness, try some of these preventive beverages – tried and tested by some of the world’s best opera singers:
Yogi Throat Comfort tea: This popular tea is the top recommendation from Isabel Leonar, who plays Rosina in The Barber of Seville in 2015-2016.
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea: Susan Graham, who stars in Die Fledermaus, prefers this tea with a dab of honey and a shot of rum.
Ginger, lemon, and honey: Most of the singers listed these ingredients as essential to their immune boosting regime.
Opera singers are not alone in their recommendation of tea for staying healthy. Researchers also sing the praises of tea:
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed how substances found in tea may help prime the body’s immune system to fight off infection.
3. Do
To top off you immunity boosting regime, take these steps, all of which are backed by research:
Humidifier: Many of the opera singers also swear by humidifiers. You can either let the humidifier fill your room or house with warm, humid air, or you can hang your head over the humidifier with a towel over your head to keep the air close to your face.
Walk: According to The Huffington Post: A study of more than 1,000 people of all ages found those who walked at least 20 minutes a day, five times a week, had 43 percent fewer sick days than others who exercised one day or less a week. The study also found that when the people who walked a moderate amount each week did get sick, their symptoms were milder and the cold or flu lasted for a shorter period.
Sleep: A research team at the University of Washington has linked a brain-specific protein associated with sleep to the ability to fight off symptoms of the flu and published these findings last November in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, reports Dr. Simin Nikbin Meydani.
Fast: According to Forbes, a scientific study by USC’s Valter Longo discovered fasting for 3 days or longer–drinking only water and eating less than 200 calories per day–can truly “reset” some components of your immune system.
Conclusion
Your presentation can be quickly thrown off course by a cold or flu if you don’t take steps to boost your immunity. In addition to eating healthy, drinking lots of water, and getting a flu shot (if that fits with your health regime), there are many other ways you can strengthen your immunity to help you fight off illness. Try some of the recommendations listed above to improve your chances of being strong and healthy during your presentation.
Additional Resources:
The Presenter’s Guide to a Nervous Stomach
Why Great Presenters are Boring People
The Complete Guide To Creating A Captivating Professional Presentation
