On our mission to stay healthy and prevent diseases, it’s very important to keep your immune system strong. After all, it’s your most important internal defense. It’s your personal superpower that helps you fight all the bad stuff.
And there’s good news.
Boosting your immune system is much more simple than everyone thinks. Yes, it’s true that your immune system is complex and complicated. But there are plenty of studies on the topic. And interestingly there are four factors that keep showing up at the top of the list as a very big impact on your immune system: Regular exercise, mental health, eating right, and quality sleep.
So in this simple guide, we will show you how to build a strong immune system by super-charging these for areas.
Step 1 – Exercise a little bit every day
Science has shown that a regular (not excessive) exercise is imporant for a healthy immune system. A little bit of daily exercise jumpstarts your blood circulation. The key here is regular exercise and not long exercise sessions. Your immune system benefits much from short daily sessions than running a marathon once a week.
Your guide to exercising daily
- Start a simple and short daily routine (for example the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge)
- Find an accountability partner to keep you motivated
- Track your progress with an app
Step 2 – Reduce stress and worries
Stress and worries have an impact on your immune system. For example, studies have shown that people who are in unhealthy relationships or suffer burnout, tend to get sick more often. Your mental health has a direct impact on your physical health. So it’s important to make an effort to de-stress. Keep your relationships healthy, be kind to each other, be mindful, and cope with your worries.
Step 3 – Eat as good as you can
Healthy immune system warriors need good, regular nourishment. It’s not a secret that a balanced diet is key for that. Research has shown that a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is ideal. Saturated fats, sugars, and red meats on the other hand are not. Maybe we’re stating the obvious here, but alcohol should only be consumed in moderation.
Step 4 – Pay attention to your sleep
If you think about it, this one isn’t really a surpise.
But many of us don’t really take sleep into consideration when it comes to our overall health. At the same time, so many of us struggle with sleep disorders like insomnia. We need to change that. We all need to take our sleep quality seriously because we now know that it has a big impact on our mental and physical health. And you guessed it, it massively strength of our immune system.
Your guide to perfect sleep
- Watch what you eat before bedtime (here are things to avoid and things that are great)
- Make bedtime a healthy ritual (this one is scientifically proven to work)
- Trouble falling asleep? These might be the reasons and Yoga Nidra might help.
Step 5 – Make it a habit
Let’s be honest, for many of us, sticking to a new habit is difficult. We’re motivated for a few days, then we miss one and maybe another one. And just as quickly as it started, the new habit is gone.
But you know what? It’s not just you. Behavioral scientists discovered that there’s a reason for this pattern. The good news is that, by following a few simple rules, building a habit and making it stick is not only possible but actually easier than you think.
Your guide to bulding a habit
You’ll find the detailed guide here. In a nutshell:
- Start with small changes
- Increase your habit very slowly
- Break it into chunks over the day
- Never miss your habit more than twice
