With a new year comes new resolutions, new intentions, and cold weather that sometimes produces sickness in people around the world. It’s important to stay on top of the basics to prevent catching a virus such as washing your hands, eating right, and using ample amounts of hand sanitizer. What else can you do to effectively enhance your immune system during the colder months, so you don’t have to worry about fighting off a nasty cold? Don’t worry because we have you covered with seven key things that can help you boost your immune system this new year below.

Positive Thinking

You’ve probably heard the popular saying mind over matter and for good reason. Your belief system and your mind can influence your level of physical health when used properly. According to John Hopkins Medicine, people who utilized positive thinking on a frequent basis were less likely to experience a heart attack compared to those who fed negative thoughts. Positive thinking can naturally reduce stress levels and anxiety in the body, which in turn makes you less susceptible to catching a cold.

Moderate Exercise

Moderate exercise is one of the best ways to boost your immune system. Physical activity in general helps move white blood cells throughout the body, which helps fight viruses. Also, immune cells have been known to stay present three hours after you’re done exercising. Moderate exercise can be anything from brisk walking to swimming. Either way, people should shoot for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week to boost their immune system and overall health.

Supplements

There are plenty of supplements out there that can strengthen and boost your immune system. You can start taking 1,000 to 2,000 mg of Vitamin C every day, which helps reduce the duration of colds in adults and children. Other supplements that could boost your immune system include zinc, Vitamin D, elderberry, echinacea, selenium, and probiotics. You could also start taking raw honey and garlic supplements to prevent infections as well as inflammation throughout the body.

Ample Sleep

You might be surprised to learn that sleep is a big factor when it comes to your immune system. Adults should shoot for seven or more hours of sleep each night to get the full benefits. Getting this amount of rest on a regular basis strengthens your natural immunity and allows your body to fight sickness more effectively. While you sleep, your adaptive immune system revs up and increases the production of cytokines, which help fight off inflammation. Also, breathing and muscle activity slow down during sleep, which frees up energy for the immune system to do handle anything affecting your health negatively.

I.v. Drip Therapy

I.v. drip therapy is a cool way you could boost your immune system and do something a little different. Intravenous treatments are one of the most effective ways of delivering vitamins and antioxidants to your body. This route ensures that your body fully absorbs the nutrients you need by feeding them directly into your bloodstream. I.v. drip therapy gives you high doses of vital nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B-Complex vitamins, and glutathione, which could all help strengthen your immune system. This also increases hydration levels, cleanse the body of harmful free radicals, and detoxification, which helps fortify the immune system’s functions.

Manage Stress

One of the most overlooked ways of boosting your immune system is effective stress management strategies. Long-term stress can create imbalances in immune cell function and create inflammation in the body. Prolonged psychological stress has been known to suppress the natural immune response in children. Some stress-reducing activities you can try implementing into your routine include yoga, meditation, exercise, and mindfulness practices. You might also consider reaching out to a licensed therapist who could help you get to the root of certain issues and provide you with solid solutions to your stress.

Conclusion

With plenty of activities going on during the holidays and the cold, wet weather, there’s an increased chance of getting sick. Whether it be the stress of navigating the festive season, an uptick in alcohol consumption, and/or a rapid drop in temperatures outside, all of these events could lead to catching a bug. In order to prevent this scenario from occurring, there are several different things you can do to boost your immunity. This can include the power of positive thinking, implementing moderate exercise, and taking supplements. Some other solid ideas include getting ample sleep every night, trying i.v. drip therapy, and managing stress levels. If you can take advantage of these seven ways to boost your immune system, you’ll be able to enjoy the new year without the stress of fighting off a sickness or recovering in bed for a week.