5 Top Winter Wellness Tips For Natural Immune Defence

As we begin to head into winter months, and the temperature drops away, it is very common to see a lift in winter-time bugs and sniffles. You might need more support than usual to ensure healthy lungs and strong respiratory health.

Everything that we do on a regular basis or include into our daily routine can impact on our total well-being. Nutrients we get from our food, emotional stress we are under, the amount of physical movement in our week and even fulfilment we get from our home + work environment all contribute to the bigger picture of your everyday wellness.

Including the below winter-time tips can help support immune health, mood, and our winter well-being. Supporting ourselves through the cooler months of the year and longer winter evenings, can help to set us up for everyday health and well-being.

Our Top 5 Winter Immune Defence Tips

• Hydration – Getting enough hydration during winter months can be a key ingredient. As the weather cools, we often feel less need to drink water. Maintaining hydration levels is important year-round for immunity, digestion, skin health and more.
• Include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet – Our food can help provide immune nutrients for wellness. The humble capsicum contains vitamin C, so putting it into a salad or eating raw as a quick crunchy snack can be a great way to get a natural wholefood dose of vitamin C.  Include lots of winter-time fruits into your week, including kiwifruit, citrus fruits such as oranges, mandarins and grapefruits as they all contain natural doses of immune boosting vitamin C. Vitamin C is a natural superhero for the immune health.
• Finding time out and your quiet spot – There is a reason for winter hibernation; It gives us a chance to rest and relax, helping us rest for the upcoming busy summer season ahead. Those moments when we can stop and find some calm are essential for re-setting our adrenal health and nervous system.
• Quality Sleep –  Did you know that including healthy sleep hygiene in our day is a vital part of staying well. It is not just the hours we spend asleep but when we go to sleep that is important too. Going to bed before 11pm helps us get into the deep sleep stage and has been shown to support brain detoxification. It helps to clear out waste and support new neuron connections. Helping set up healthy sleep habits and a sleep wake cycle supports more than immune health, it also helps supports our mental and physical health, and optimal gut flora.
• Staying warm – Most of us would’ve heard the old saying if caught out in the rain, “You will catch a cold.”  This saying actually has some truth to it in the way that if we are too cold, the body may experience stress then our immunity can lower and this may make us more susceptible to winter-time bugs going around. Staying warm and being comfortable can help us stay well.