Staying healthy all year long isn’t easy, especially when you work in an environment that exposes you regularly to other people and their germs. If you’ve got kids in school, everything they come in contact with throughout the day often comes home with them, and it’s only a matter of time before everyone in the household is sick.

Boosting your immune system on a regular basis can help you maintain bodily health even in the thick of cold and flu season. It may also battle depression brought on by Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Shy of isolating yourself in a plastic bubble to avoid contact with germs and viruses, there are simple immune system boosters you can add to your every day diet and exercise regimen to help you stay healthier and fully charged all year long.

1. Regular exercise boosts your blood circulation, and healthy blood circulation also means a healthier immune system. Make sure you get plenty of exercise at least four to five times each week.
2. Sleep is one of the most powerful autoimmune boosters. Because of our busy lifestyles, many of us don’t get enough sleep, which causes our bodies and our overall health to suffer. Do your best to get at least eight hours of sleep each night.
3. Take your daily vitamin supplement. Getting enough Vitamins C, E and calcium are essential to ensuring your immune health doesn’t suffer.
4. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. These will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to sustain itself without making you feel tired or rundown.
5. Yogurt has natural bacteria cultures that help fight off bad bacteria in the body that could make you sick.
6. Fresh lemon helps restore the bodies alkali-acid balance, so drop a lemon wedge into your water glass, squeeze the juice over your desert or drink plenty of fresh-squeezed lemonade.
7. Eat plenty of the good fats, like those found in olive oil and nuts, as this will help balance your cholesterol levels and maintain healthier blood circulation.
8. Maintain a healthy body weight. Being over and underweight dramatically impacts your body’s white blood cells.

Keeping your body healthy all year long is an important part of your every day life. As many of us struggle against economic hardships, the very thought of missing a day of work to nurse a cold is out of the question. One of the most important things you can do if you happen to get sick is to stop pushing yourself and allow your body and immune system to recover.