7 Ways To Boost Your Immune System During Winter!

We are a week into chillai Kalan (the harsh winter period) and the weather is terribly cold. We’re are all coughing and sniffing and add the regular power cuts to the winter woes. No one would like to fall sick and have common cold at any cost. To avoid the horribly stuffy nose we need to boost our Immune system. So, instead of staying away from sick friends, boot your immune system and brace up the odds. We cannot entirely avoid it, but hey, we can follow some super easy routines and find how best we can keep away from it.

1.       Avoid Stress.

Enjoy life. Relax, laugh and avoid negativity. Stress and depression can weaken your immune system and make you susceptible to infections. We can’t control the factors that bring in stress in our lives but can control how we react to them! Let go of the things that are bothering you and pay attention to the ones that bring you joy. Take everything positively. This is easier said than done but with great motivation we achieve do anything.

2.       Eat balanced Diet.

Take care of what you eat and how healthy it is. You need vitamins and minerals to support your immune system. Focus on eating whole foods such as animal proteins( not to mention that to a Kashmiri, our meals are incomplete without them) legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds as well as fresh fruits and salads.

Avoid processed foods and foods with artificial sweeteners. Such foods suppress immune system.

3.       Take antioxidants.

Apart from taking balanced diet, take sufficient amount of vitamin C. Find out foods rich in vitamin C and include them in daily routine. Do not just cram them in when you have hand not any since few months. That will surely give you a bout of cold. This one must be planned ahead but even if you have not planned it, you got to take them.

You can find these vitamins in foods like Broccoli, Almond Nuts, and any Citrus foods.

4.       Get enough sleep.

Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day. Make sure you do not waste your precious time on social media and watching Netflix, a good amount of sleep is highly recommended for healthy body and mind. Again it doesn’t mean you sleep at odd times. Rest your biological clock (natural cycle). It can get hard first but you will get this routine in few days. Listening to your body is important.

5.       Move those limbs!

A regular exercise routine keeps the sickness away. Workout will keep the flu away and help your Immune system to get strong. It relaxes the body and mind.

I do not mean you to do heavy cardio and overdo it, just simple and easy exercises, that will let you move your body enough to keep it healthy. If you can do even that, than take a brisk walk for 20 to 30 minutes everyday!

6.       Soak up some sunlight.

Winter is no reason to stay indoors (wearing Pheran and hugging Kangri) instead, go out and soak up some sunshine. Sunlight is a great source of Vitamin D, it not only helps your immune system but also helps your nails and hair grow.

Try to go out few times a week into the sun and get a vitamin D recharge.

7.       Drink plenty of clean water.

Winter or not, staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your health. It helps in production of lymph which carried white blood cells throughout our body. And hence, fights bacteria and infection causing germs.

You can add some lemon to it and boost it a bit more.

You can also take Lassi (made from curd and water). It keeps your body hydrated too.

How do you avoid the dreaded common cold? Let us know in the comments section below… 

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Bye!