How to boost your immune system

The immune system is a vital component of your body. After all, it’s the first line of defence against illness and infections. That’s why it’s important to know how to strengthen your immune system so that it’s firing on all cylinders. So, what helps build up your immune system? We’ll show you what you can do to support your overall health and how to build your immune system on a daily basis.

What helps build up your immune system?

Leading a balanced lifestyle and giving your body support is vital when it comes to learning about how to boost your immune system. With a few tweaks, you can build up your immune system fairly easily. Here are some of the best ways:

• Exercise. Regular activity carries a whole host of health benefits and is a great way of boosting your immune system. Moving around helps charge your lymphatic system, which helps the body get rid of toxins, waste and other unwanted substances. Exercise also stimulates the production of immune cells and can help reduce stress on your entire immune system.
• Rest. Want to know how to build your immune system by doing nothing? Just rest and relax more. Fatigue and stress lead to an increased release of the hormone cortisol, which suppresses the immune system – what better reason is there to take some chill-out time? Combining regular exercise with quality rest is a great combination for strengthening immune systems.
• Stop smoking and drink less. Smoking and drinking excess alcohol can majorly impair immune system function, so cutting out the cigarettes and limiting your alcohol intake can give it a real boost.
• Up your vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is hard to get into your body via food alone, so safely getting some sun and/or supplementing is key. A lack of vitamin D can lead to a variety of health conditions, so this is something to really pay close attention to. Your doctor can run tests if they suspect you are deficient, and give you plenty of advice to make sure you do get enough.
• Supplementation. As with vitamin D, you want to make sure you’re getting all of the other daily vitamins and minerals you need. A balanced diet is the best way of doing this – tips like eating whole foods and fresh produce that cover the colours of the rainbow really help. In addition to this, a multivitamin, extra vitamin C, zinc, antioxidants and echinacea are among the supplements you might want to consider.
• Keep up your fluids. Think of fluid, particularly water, as fuel for your immune system. Stay hydrated and it can work efficiently – dip into the dehydration zone and stress signals start getting sent out. These signals lead to a weakening of the immune system and make it much harder for it to do its job
• Consider probiotics. Gut health is a huge part of your overall wellbeing, and probiotics help your body get the necessary ‘good bacteria’. When it comes to figuring out how to strengthen your immune system with probiotics there are plenty of quality supplements available, and a daily bowl or pot of live yoghurt can do the trick too.

Now you’ve got a better idea of what helps build up your immune system and what you can do on an everyday basis to boost your overall health. With your newfound knowledge on how to strengthen your immune system you’ll be able to give your body the support it needs.