Everyone gets more concerned about their immune system in the Winter. Have you heard any of those phrases yet? You know the ones when the season and the clocks change and we hear things like ‘the nights are fair drawing in’ or ‘ ‘there is a real chill in the air today’.

This usually means other things change too – your mood, your sleep pattern, maybe what you eat and how you exercise.

No matter how your training patterns change, keeping well all year round doesn’t alter.

The same rules apply : The right food, exercise and rest

Colds, flus and other illnesses are always around so keeping your immune system in good condition is really important.

Here are some tips to keep your immune system fighting fit:

1. 1. Get the right amount of sleep. Sleep is when the body repairs and recovers. Sleep deprivation is linked to a weaker immune system and increased injury risk.  This is one of the most important pillars of health and is often neglected or over looked. I could do a full article on sleep but on average you need about 7-8 hours of sleep every night.  Most of the populations functions on less sleep, and are chronically deprived, but also susceptible to more infections or poorer health.  Coincidence?
   2. Hydration. The body needs water. Just give it what it needs.
   3. Gut Health. The gut is the barrier between the foods we consume and our body. It is essential we look after our gut as it plays a key role in having a healthy immune system. We recommend taking some pre and pro biotic complex. The gut lining is crucial for the immune system.
   4. Get some Vitamin D. Get outside and get some daylight for at least 10 minutes. It might not be sunny but you will still be absorbing some Vitamin D. Its also very important to our immune system.
   5. Get the right nutrients. Vitamin C and Zinc are especially important for the immune system.
   6. Antioxidants. When your body breaks down certain foods it produces free radicals which are linked to illnesses and disease. Other foods we consume that are high in antioxidants such as spinach, kale, berries are great at destroying these free radicals. It’s like pacman inside your body! Antioxidants are the good guys.
   7. Avoid inflammatory foods e.g: trans fats, sugars, alcohol, processed meat etc. These foods cause harm and can be toxic to the gut lining. Give it the nutrients it needs. This will reduce the inflammatory environment that viruses thrive in.
   8. Exercise. Being fit and strong makes us healthy. This helps our body function and strengthens our immune system. Get some exercise. Rest and inactivity makes us weaker. As long as your immune system is not already compromised (ie you have a temperature) then exercise is good.  Too much exercise, either in volume or too much high intensity work, without recovery or zone 2 training can actually reduce your immune system and make you more vulnerable to infections.
   9. Stress. Stress leads to a hormonal response increasing our cortisol levels which lowers the immune response. So switch off all the negative media, stop watching the news every 2 minutes for the next update and relax, read a book, listen to something calming and get distracted.
   10. Avoid smoking. This goes without saying that it is going to affect your oxygen levels and circulation. Tobacco undermines the immune system and increases the risk of respiratory conditions.

If you are not sure how your nutritional intake is doing, get in touch and request a nutritional analysis. Our nutritional assessment analyses your intake and gives recommendations to accelerate your recovery.

To book your nutritional analysis or discover what other services are available you can call the clinic on 0333 301 0205 or book online.