3 EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR IMMUNITY, NATURALLY

While the strategies listed below will not necessarily prevent you from catching highly contagious viruses, they may improve your chances of a swift recovery if you were to become infected. Plus, these strategies make you feel so much better overall – which is an added bonus during this challenging time.

All of these things are easy to do and just take a few tweaks to your lifestyle and diet. So, what are you waiting for?

1. Get a good night’s sleep

Sleep is absolutely vital to your healthy and wellbeing. When you are asleep, your body takes the opportunity to repair damaged cells, tissues and organs; as well as manufacturing vital infection-fighting antibodies that help to strengthen your immune system.

You should be aiming for at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night – to achieve this, it can help to increase your activity during the day (less Netflix, more yoga or workout apps), limit caffeine in the afternoon and evening, and implement a soothing pre-sleep routine at least half an hour before you go to bed.

2. Eat immune-boosting foods

Some foods are better than others when it comes to supporting your immune system. While comfort food certainly has its place in our iso lives, it’s super important to feed yourself quality foods that support your immunity.

Every day, you should be eating a colourful array of fruits and vegetables. In fact, over the course of a week you should aim to eat 40 different types of fruit and veggies. Many are rich in Vitamin C, a proven antioxidant and immune booster; others bring different nutrients and minerals to the table. Add plenty of garlic to your cooking, too. This powerful flavour-bomb is renowned for its anti-microbial, anti-viral properties. You might want to try bone broth, too. Rich in minerals, bone broth (which is easy to make) is great for your digestive tract – which, given the majority of immune cells live your gut, is a win-win.

3. Soak up some sunshine 

As the weather cools in Australia, many people’s Vitamin D levels drop – which in turn can lower your immunity, increase fatigue, and make you more susceptible to infection. In the cooler months, you should aim to get at least 15 minutes of sunshine on your skin each day. Of course, be careful to cover up and slip, slop, slap if you’re going to be out for any longer than that – it’s still very important to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

And don’t forget to breathe

When you’re stressed, your immune system weakens. And while chilling out is always easier said than done, it’s important to try not to stress about this unusual situation we all find ourselves in.

You know yourself best. Treat yourself to a daily activity that you know will help to lower your stress levels. Whether it’s reading a book, sipping on a herbal tea, going for a walk, doing yoga, daggy dancing in the kitchen with your kids, throwing a ball for your dog … whatever it is, give yourself every opportunity to do things every single day that will lower your stress levels.

Happy immune-boosting!