Winter Wellness: Strengthening Your Immune System
The winter can be a challenging time for health, but preparing yourself in advance and strengthening your immune system ahead of the colder months can make a big difference to your winter wellness. It can be easy to get distracted by the busy nature of life and neglect your own health, but taking care of your physical and mental health is vitally important and is the best way to care for yourself and your family in the long term.
Here at Gray’s Pharmacy, we’re on hand to help you find solutions that will support you in strengthening your immune system and help you manage your health all year round. The winter often brings cold and flu bugs and these can cost you time and impact your long-term health. Setting yourself up for a successful winter means preparing your body so that you can fight off most of the illnesses you come into contact with and easily combat those that get past your defences.
Taking care of your health in the winter by strengthening your immune system
Winter tends to be a busy time for most people, with work pressures, family commitments and the expectation of a ‘party season’, too. This is a far cry from the winters of our ancestors, in which the focus would have been on slowing down and living a much more restful existence than in the warmer months. There are, however, many ways to support the body at this time of the year, including:
Getting enough sleep.
Sleep is the best defence the body has against illness, and you can make the most of its superpowers by ensuring you get the right amount of rest. Going to bed at a reasonable hour each night and trying to stick to the same bedtime and rising time each day can help regulate your sleep patterns and keep you healthier. This is essential for immunity, as well as cell regeneration, stress management and mental health.
Eating well.
The winter is a great time to think about your diet and take steps to create a more nourishing regime for your family. There are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables around at this time of the year so it’s a good time to get cooking, making the most of the warm, rich recipes that are so comforting in the winter. Soups, stews, pies and roasts are all popular winter choices and you can even batch cook all of these options to save time and money. Eating a natural, colourful diet will help you to support your body and this is an excellent way to protect your health throughout the winter.
Drinking plenty.
Staying hydrated is an essential way to protect your body all year round, and it can help boost immunity in the winter months. Flushing the bugs and toxins through your system is a very helpful way to combat illness and ensuring that you and your children drink plenty of fluids is an easy way to support health and wellness for the whole family.
Taking supplements.
Most people who live in the Northern Hemisphere struggle to absorb enough vitamin D from their diet so consider taking this in supplement form to support your immune system. Vitamins D and C, along with zinc, are particularly important in maintaining health and fighting off illness, and it’s easy to add a daily supplement as well as increase your intake of foods which contain these naturally, such as citrus fruits and mushrooms.
Exercising.
Exercising regularly is a vital way to maintain your health, encouraging a healthy body and a healthy mind will strengthen your immune system. Positivity is essential for your well-being, and the endorphins released when you exercise are crucial to keeping a positive outlook in life. You should aim to exercise in a way that increases your heart rate for at least thirty minutes, three to five times per week. Challenge yourself to try a new sport or activity that will inspire you to new fitness goals and consider increasing your activity levels every year for optimum health and vitality as you age.
Minimising stress.
Stress is a big factor in wellness, and it is much more difficult to maintain your health if you do not find effective ways to manage and reduce the stressors in your life. If you have a stressful job or your financial situation causes you sleepless nights, it’s well worth considering whether you can make changes that will relieve some pressure and enable you to let go of some stress. It can help to think about what really matters and consider your priorities – one of which should be your health, of course!
Boost your immune system in winter
Illnesses tend to be more common in the winter and it can be harder to fight them off if your immunity is low. Finding a product that can support your immune system and give you an extra boost throughout the winter is a great way to look out for your health and the health of your family. There are many different supplements available and you may also want to experiment with making your own tonics. There are many different recipes available online and you can make foraging for fresh berries a family experience before cooking up a batch of immune-boosting syrup together.
Of course, if you’d rather not make your own remedies, we have an excellent selection for you to choose from, including syrups, capsules and tablets packed with immune-boosting ingredients. Pharmaton Capsules are a great choice, packed with Ginseng, vitamins A, B, C, D and E and other beneficial vitamins and minerals to combat fatigue and help strengthen your immune system. We also recommend Phizz Multivitamin Orange tablets, which dissolve in water to give you a hydration boost as well as 18 essential vitamins and minerals to benefit your immune system.
Manuka Honey is an excellent way to protect your health naturally, and you can use it to aid healing in many ways. Taking it regularly to support your immune system is a popular way to boost your winter wellness, and you can even use it to help wounds heal more quickly, as well. Another effective remedy is liposomal vitamin C, and Altrient has developed a formulation to optimise your absorption. Liposomal vitamin C is the best way to increase your intake of this vital vitamin, ensuring almost 100% bioavailability, which is great news for you and bad news for winter bugs!
Boosting immunity for children
Children are resilient but are also exposed to many bugs and illnesses when they are at school or with groups of friends, and supporting their health as they fight these off can give them a stronger immune system for life. If they see you modelling the best ways to take care of your health, your children will begin setting up healthy habits for the future and taking a remedy, supplement or immune-boosting tonic will become a normal part of life for them. This is a great way to encourage kids to take responsibility for their health and you’ll soon find that they’re reminding you to dish out the vitamins each morning!
We know how important your children’s health is, and we recommend multivitamins and mineral supplements that can give them a much-needed boost in the winter months. We love Vitabiotics Wellkid Immune support, in chewable tablet form for ease. These contain vitamins A, C and D, essential for immune support, especially for children, and have a pleasant orange and lemon flavour so the kids will love them. We also have a selection of soluble medication or liquid supplements, which are even easier for children to take if they prefer these methods.
If your child is fighting off bugs, or just preparing the body to resist all the illnesses doing the rounds at school, they’ll benefit from L’il Critters Immune gummies, which are appealing to kids and come in four delicious flavours. They contain vitamins C and D, as well as zinc, which is known to promote a healthy immune system and assist in fighting off illnesses.
Caring for your family’s health all year round
It’s impossible to avoid illnesses altogether and, in fact, viruses and infections are important for creating the immune responses your body needs for optimum health and wellbeing. However, it’s a good idea to strengthen the body so that illnesses do not cause a major problem and you can build up your defences to ensure you can fight them off quickly and easily. Winter is the prime time for flu and cold bugs in particular, and taking the time to prepare with a high-quality vitamin supplement and some lifestyle changes can make it a much healthier time of the year.
Here at Gray’s totalhealth Pharmacy, we value your family’s health and we want to make it easier to look after yourselves all year round. We have a great range of health care products, as well as personal care and beauty products, and we offer a range of services including prescription drugs, and diabetes testing. Pop in and talk to us today in our Irish independently-owned community Pharmacy in Castletroy, Limerick.