Keeping your immune system healthy means looking after your body and mind

Boosting your immune system naturally can mean making some pretty big lifestyle changes – especially if they’re changes that you haven’t made already.

Looking after both your body and your mind will best prepare your immune system to do its job, which is to keep you happy and healthy.

We’ve listed a few tips and tricks on how to naturally aid and boost the inner workings of your immune system. These tips have helped us to stave off illness, and we know they’ll help you, too!

1. Eat a whole food, plant-based diet

As with most things health-related, food can be what helps you or what hurts you. When it comes to boosting your immune system, the best way to get it working optimally is to eat a healthy, nutritious diet. We recommend a whole food, plant-based one.

Hippocrates was on to something when he said “all disease begins in the gut”. Our all-natural prebiotic supplements harness the power of plant-based whole foods that work together to improve various bodily functions, including your immune system and gut microbiome.

2. Practice good hygiene

Washing your hands (and your body!) regularly will help to keep the bad germs where they belong – outside of your body, rather than in it.

By practicing good hygiene, you will prevent your immune system from having to fight off bacteria that a little soap and water can gently wash away.

3. Get lots of sleep

Sleep is important. When you don’t get enough, how does it make you feel? Grumpy, exhausted and stressed? Lack of sleep can also increase inflammation, blood pressure, and other negative effects in the body.

Getting enough sleep helps your body to regenerate T cells, which are the cells that help to fight off infection. That makes sleeping an act that should be high on your immune system-boosting priority list.

Create a bedtime routine and try to avoid staring at screens in the hour leading up to bedtime. Spending time on your phone or laptop before bed can keep your brain whizzing long after your eyes have closed.

4. Exercise often

Whether your version of exercise is going out for a walk or hitting the gym, just make sure you are doing it as often as you can. Exercise provides for optimal circulation within the body, and helps to improve cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, control body weight and fight off disease.

Something more relaxed like walking around the park is an excellent practice that could be done daily. An intensive gym session, on the other hand, could be rounded down to 3 or 4 times a week. Getting your heart rate up is key!

5. Leave smoking in the 70s

Smoking isn’t good for you. While it might have been all the rage back in the 1970s, today we are very well educated on just how detrimental it can be to your health.

The good news is that most of the negative effects of smoking can be reversed if you quit. Your blood circulation will improve, along with your senses of taste and smell, energy levels, and – most importantly – the functioning of your immune system.

Giving up an addiction like smoking isn’t easy, but it will benefit you in many ways when you succeed. If you need help during your transition, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Let’s leave smoking in the past, where it belongs.

6. If you enjoy drinking alcohol, do so in moderation

There are some things in life that are okay in moderation, and alcohol is one of them. While enjoying a glass of wine with dinner won’t do you any harm, excessive consumption can lead to adverse health effects – such as the increased risk of blood clots and diabetes, among many others.

Be smart with how much alcohol you drink and keep consumption levels to a minimum. With less alcohol in your body, your immune system will be better equipped to fight off pathogens and keep you healthy.

7. Practice stress management where possible

Stress can be a hard thing to manage, especially when the contributing factors are outside of your control. That being said, you do still have the power to reduce your stress levels, and your immune system will function better as a result.

Stress reduces your immune system’s ability to fight off antigens, making you more susceptible to infections and other illnesses.

By taking part in activities that calm you – whether they be writing, walking, meditating or watching your favourite TV show – you will be able to better navigate your stress when it comes to the fore.

8. Spend time outside

When the sun’s bright rays come in contact with your skin, the reaction naturally produces vitamin D, one of the strongest natural sterilisers. This vitamin directly targets your immune system and helps it to function optimally.

Even when the sun isn’t shining, being in the big outdoors will help your mind and body exponentially. Breathing in the fresh air and spending time in nature can also help to reduce your stress levels, improve your mental health and set you up for a good night’s sleep.

Make your lifestyle a healthy one

When functioning properly, our immune system protects us from disease, infection and toxins, and keeps our body and mind healthy.

By working towards a healthier lifestyle with better food choices, improved hygiene practices and regular physical activity, your immune system will be ready for anything life throws at you.

Flourish’s natural prebiotic supplements work together to boost your immune system