Ways to Improve the Immune System

Getting healthy and staying healthy can be a struggle, but by improving your immune system you will be able to fight off almost every germ life throws at you. Building up your immunity system is surprisingly easy if you know exactly what you need to do, and you should include your entire family in getting and staying healthy.

Nutrition

• Eating nutritious food is key. Cut out as much junk food, white flour products and sugar as possible. These do nothing to help your body fight infections or diseases; they are just empty calories. Choose foods as close to their natural state as possible, making sure to include a good amount of raw foods. The more processed something is, the less nutritious it is and the more chemicals it has. Include grains in your diet and legumes (peas, beans and nuts) for nutritious fiber for your digestive system. You should include a probiotic, either in yogurt or capsule form, on a daily basis to balance the good bacteria in your digestive system.

  Many people include a daily multi-vitamin with minerals to make sure they are getting enough nutrients. If you happen to be anemic you may want to include iron in your supplement.

Hydration

• Drink water, lots of it, every day. Cut out that soda, diet or not, and replace it with water. You can drink fruit or vegetable juices too, but it doesn't count towards the amount of pure water you should drink. Experts recommend 6 to 8 8oz. glasses of water every day. A good way of telling if you are drinking enough water is to look at your urine; it should be clear or nearly clear.

Exercise

• Getting some sort of exercise every day keeps all your systems running. It kicks up your metabolism, burns calories, brightens your mood and helps you get good rest at night. Merely walking 20 minutes a day will help your immune system become stronger.

Sleep

• Sleep is vital. The term "being run down" is exactly that--you're running on empty. If you don't get enough quality sleep, all of your systems are sluggish. As we get older we don't seem to sleep as well or seem to need as much sleep, but the recommendations are that you go to bed the same time every night and get up the same time every morning, even on weekends. Your bed and bedroom are for only two things--sex and sleep. Using your bedroom as an office is never a good idea because your bedroom no longer is your retreat. Try not to nap, if possible, which disrupts the natural sleep cycle.

  If you have trouble sleeping, try herbal products like valerian to see if you can get by without a prescription medication.

Laugh!

• Put a smile on your face as often as possible. Some studies suggest that laughter is an important contribution to a healthy lifestyle (See Resources).