Like it or not, winter is on its way. This time of year, the excessive amount of germs, dry air, lack of sunshine, and high stress all make you more prone to getting sick. What you need are some effective ways to boost your immune system through cold and flu season. Here’s what we recommend.
Get a Flu Shot
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the flu shot for nearly everyone. Except for people with severe flu vaccine allergies and infants under six months old, everyone should protect themselves by getting an annual flu shot. Early fall is the ideal time to be vaccinated, so get to your doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic today!
Maintain a Consistent Schedule
Your body thrives on predictability, so it helps to wake up, work out, eat, and go to sleep at the same time every day. By aligning your habits with your body’s natural rhythms, you keep your natural defenses humming along smoothly.
Wash Your Hands Often
With winter colds and the flu going around, you should focus on washing your hands now more than ever. One of the best ways to keep foreign germs out of your home is to wash your hands the moment you get home from work, school, or running errands.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting adequate rest is a fundamental aspect of overall health and wellness. Your body restores itself when you’re asleep, so make it a priority to get seven to nine hours of shuteye per night. To promote more restful sleep, ban TVs in the bedroom and put all devices away 30 minutes before bedtime.
Work Out Regularly
Moderate-intensity exercise doesn’t just increase your fitness level—it also boosts your immune system. Activities such as walking for 20 to 30 minutes daily, lifting weights at the gym every other day, and going on bike rides a few times a week can reduce your chances of catching a cold. Just be careful not to overdo it—high-intensity workouts can actually lower your defenses.
Stay Hydrated
Every bodily function, including your immune system, requires water for peak performance. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to help your body remain in tip-top shape over the winter.
Eat Food High in Vitamin C
Any plant-based, vitamin-packed food will help boost your immune system in the winter, but vitamin C is particularly important for warding off illness. This antioxidant is necessary for healing and can help increase your resistance to cold-causing pathogens. Raw fruits and vegetables—including oranges, pineapple, berries, broccoli, tomatoes, and winter squash—are excellent sources of vitamin C.
Take Vitamin Supplements
Taking a multivitamin every day is an easy way to supplement your diet and ensure you’re getting adequate nutrients. To increase your body’s absorption of immune-boosting vitamins and minerals, plan to take each supplement with a meal.
Eat More Herbs and Spices
Plenty of fall and winter dishes are compatible with warming herbs and spices that boost your immune system and help you battle an existing cold. These include ginger, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, cardamom, and fennel. As a natural antibiotic, garlic can also help you avoid bacterial infections.
Eat Less Sugar
Sugar tends to cause inflammation, which creates a breeding ground for flu microbes. The less inflammation in your body, the better. When you have a sweet tooth, reach for natural sources of sugar, such as fresh fruit, orange juice, and low-fat dairy products.
Trade Alcohol for Fruit Juice
It may be tempting to relax with a glass of wine after a busy day, but alcohol is known to suppress the immune system, making you more vulnerable to colds and the flu. For a healthier sweet drink that offers immune-boosting vitamins, reach for a glass of fruit juice instead!
Spend Time with Friends (Unless They’re Sick)
Chilly temperatures and dreary winter weather might make you want to hunker down at home, but being social helps to balance your hormones, which in turn stabilizes your immune system. Just be sure to steer clear of friends and family while they’re sick to avoid catching an illness!
Get a Massage
A relaxing massage stimulates the lymphatic system and raises the level of disease-fighting white blood cells to increase your body’s defenses against microbes. Plus, massage helps you de-stress and lowers key inflammation-promoting hormones to help you feel fantastic. It’s just what you need to get through the hectic winter season!
Boost Your Immune System with Treatment at Spine Correction Center
With services such as massage therapy and nutritional assessments, Spine Correction Center of the Rockies can help complement the steps you take at home to boost your immune system. To find out more about how we can help you stay happy and healthy through the winter and all year-round, please contact us at (970) 658-5115 and schedule a free consultation today. To fit your busy lifestyle, we can meet in person, over the phone, or online.
