Our immune systems are working for us around the clock.

Given how much the immune system does to keep you healthy, it’s important to make sure your lifestyle supports it’s function. There are plenty of simple ways to boost immune system function and still enjoy just about every activity one can imagine. Start with these five examples and claim the reward of feeling better physically, mentally, and emotionally.

1. Start With Your Diet

Are you boosting your immune system when you eat? A lot depends on what you’re eating. Like every other aspect of your body, the immune system needs the right nutrients to remain in optimal shape. Fortunately, making sure you’re taking in adequate nutrition doesn’t mean eating tasteless food.

One common approach is to build your meals around fresh fruits and vegetables. Season them with a variety of herbs if you like. Allow these to account for most of the meal itself. Remember you do need a source of protein in the mix. That could be some type of lean meat or poultry, or you could include a vegetable entree that provides a reasonable amount of vegetable protein.

Your body, including the immune system, needs some carbohydrates. Go for more complex carbohydrates and keep the simple ones to a minimum. A bonus of complex carbohydrates is that they often provide more fiber than their simple cousins. That fiber is essential for healthy digestion and elimination; that certainly supports the immune system.

Remember that portion size matters. You’ll still take in a reasonable amount of nutrients, but you’re also likely to maintain a healthy weight. That also supports immune system function.

2. Exercise Regularly

Humans are not meant to sit still all of the time. You need to be up and around. Exercises like walking, jogging, swimming, aerobics, or working out at a gym are all ways to tone the body and trigger the release of neurotransmitters that support every system in the body. That includes your immune system.

Make time to do some type of exercise every day. Consider walking at brisk pace for a half-hour after the evening meal. Include trips to the gym at least three times a week. If you have access to as pool, swimming for a half-hour or so is also a great option.

Consistency is almost as important as duration. Create an exercise plan that’s varied and includes fun things to do. Getting into the habit of daily exercise creates something to look forward to; those positive emotions also help to keep your immune system strong.

3. Take Olive Leaf Extract

Olive leaf extract is one of the supplements that you should seriously consider adding to your nutritional regimen. While it’s often sought out for the antioxidant properties, the extract also helps to protect immune system function. An herbalist can help you determine the right dosage for your needs.

Keep in mind that not all olive leaf extract supplements are the same. You want to invest in one that doesn’t lose nutritional value during the processing. One excellent choice to consider is d-Lenolate. With more of the natural compounds left intact, products of this type allow you enjoy more of the health benefits.

4. Give Up Tobacco Products

Do you smoke, chew tobacco, or dip snuff? Now is the time to change that. Other than the short-term mental satisfaction that often comes with using tobacco products, you’re getting nothing of value. What you are doing is slowly becoming addicted and placing a greater degree of stress on your immune system.

While tobacco withdrawal isn’t easy, the effort is worth in on several levels. You eventually undo much of the damage done to the respiratory system. You’re likely to find that food tastes better and you have more energy for exercise. With the strain tobacco usage places on the immune system no longer a factor, your system can perform more efficiently. Once you get through that first difficult month, things will get a lot easier.

5. Take Up Yoga Coupled With Reiki Massage

Mind-body balance is key to supporting a healthy immune system. One discipline that you will find helpful in more than one way is taking yoga classes. Yoga does more than help bring a degree of peace to your muscles. It also helps to calm a mind that never seems to stop racing, alleviates bodily and emotional stress, and provides with tools to manage your inner and outer life more productively.

In terms of your immune system, controlling physical and emotional stress ensures that there’s more resources to devote to other types of threats to the body. In a way, you’re working with the immune system to ensure that the other possible ailment are being addressed and not allowed to continue developing.

Are you familiar with Reiki? This type of mind-energy massage is intended to tap into the natural energy field surrounding the body and promote healing of all types. Some techniques do not require actual touch. A Reiki master moves the hands an inch or two above the body as a way to strengthen the body’s energy and use it for inner healing.

How does that relate to immune system health? Reiki is about restoring the energy balance in the body and the mind. That includes restoring balance to the immune system. With a proper balance, your body’s natural defenses are more capable of protecting you from all sorts of ailments.

Taking care of yourself pays big dividends over the years. Start with these basics and see where they lead. You can bet that the benefits of a healthier body, a balanced mind, and a sense of being able to embrace whatever life has to offer will make your years happier.

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Author

Geoff Melcher is the Vice President at East Park Research in Las Vegas, NV. East Park Research has studied the healing properties of the olive leaf, resulting in the development of a unique olive leaf extract formulation – d-Lenolate.