In the winter months, you may feel like you know someone who is getting sick every other day, but it doesn’t have to be this way. While there is no sure-fire way to ensure that you won’t get sick this winter, following the below tips puts your body in the best possible position to fight any illnesses.

Wash Your Hands Often

The winter months are a time when viruses and bacteria easily transfer from person to person. Since we use our hands to touch many things throughout the day, it is important to regularly wash our hands to remove germs. It is also important to avoid touching the mouth, eyes, or nose with our hands because this gives germs an easy way into our body.

Eat for Immunity

Eating a well-balanced diet puts the body in the best possible position to fight infection and illness. It does this by providing your body with all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs to function optimally. So be sure to eat a diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, protein, healthy fats, fiber, and minimal simple sugars.

Keep Active

Keeping active is an essential aspect of a healthy lifestyle, although the cold winter weather and shorter days make it harder to keep up with it. However, physical activity helps to maintain or lose weight, reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep quality. Exercise also helps to boost your immunity, lessening your chances of getting sick.

Sleep

Healing occurs when the body is at rest, so sleeping is one of the best times for our body to heal and repair itself. In addition, getting as much sleep as the body needs during the winter ensures that it can fight any illness that may threaten the body.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins that can make us sick or make us feel worse. Also, our body is made up of 70% of water, so a lack of water means that it cannot function as well as it usually does.

Get Some Sun

Vitamin D protects against disease and gives the immune system a boost. While you can get vitamin D by consuming certain types of food, one of the easiest ways is by spending just 10-15 minutes in the sun. Not only does it help your immune system, but spending time in the sun also helps with your mental health, which already suffers in winter due to the long hours of darkness.

Meditate

Meditation helps prevent or fight sickness because these actions occur in a restful state, and meditation focuses on maintaining a resting state. The benefits of meditation for mental health are also substantial; it allows you to focus on your emotions and provides a way for a self-check. Meditation can also help lower stress and anxiety levels, which can cause many health problems and impact the body’s ability to fight infections.

Winter is a time known for the spread of illness. Whether a common cold, flu, or other infection, it is never fun to be sick. Following these tips can help you avoid getting ill and, if you do get sick, fight it quickly so that you can get back to feeling your best.