ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Avoid Getting Sick In The Cold Months By Boosting Your Immune System

Updated on November 2, 2012
View of the lake shore in winter.
View of the lake shore in winter.

Summer Versus Winter

In the summer people spend a lot of time outside and they are active. People are walking, biking, running, swimming, playing sports, etc. They are also wearing very little clothing. The lack of clothing encourages people to workout so their bodies look good. With the fun activities and the workouts most people are in good shape both mentally and physically during the hot summer months. They build muscle, lose fat, have a lot of fun and feel good.

During the winter people spend more time inside and they wear more clothes. There is not a lot to do inside and the extra clothing hides their body. So they are less likely to workout or get exercise while doing something fun. As a result they spend more time sitting around and more time consuming junk foods and drinks. They lose muscle, gain fat, have less energy and often don't feel very well.

There are some people that are active in warm and cold weather and some people like to stay inside no matter how nice it is outside. However most people are more active and get more fresh air in the warm months than they do in the cold ones.

Immune System

A lack of good quality sleep can impair your immune system. So can stress, negative emotions, negative thoughts, poor circulation, poor eating habits, excessive fat, dehydration, intense exercise and not sweating on a regular basis. Sweat is good for you. It cleanses your body. Since germs and viruses can spread you are more likely to catch something if you are in a confined space where other people have touched things and contaminated the air.

When the weather gets colder people change their habits. Their new habits leave them more vulnerable. It also increases the number of threats to you. You are going to come in contact with more sick people and more of their germs and viruses. Moderate exercise can give your immune system a boost. It can improve the quality of your sleep, reduce stress, improve your eating habits, cause you to sweat, improve your mood, improve blood circulation and reduce fat. If you get some of that exercise outside the odds of catching something are reduced even more.

When you let your body go you are also letting your immune system go. Take better care of yourself and spend time outside to avoid getting sick. Act like it is beach season and you want to look good.

Hiking in the woods.
Hiking in the woods. | Source
Weights
Weights | Source
Woman doing yoga with the Wii.
Woman doing yoga with the Wii. | Source
Woman meditating
Woman meditating | Source

Healthy Cold Weather Habits

When the weather gets cold people stop going to the beach. They also stop doing a lot of other things. The habits they give up are replaced with new habits. Usually these new habits are passive. A habit like biking is replaced with passively watching TV or passively playing games. However you can replace your warm weather habits with healthy cold weather habits.

You can workout inside. I often workout while I watch TV. It is not as enjoyable as biking to the beach but it provides me with exercise. Lifting weights, body weight exercises and a variety of cardio exercises can be done within a small area of your home. There are also motion controlled video games. Playing them can provide you with some exercise and it is fun. In the winter I like to play Wii sports games. Meditation has a lot of health benefits. You can do it while sitting in front of your computer. Listening to meditation music makes it easier.

Even though it is cold out you can still go for hikes outside. Hiking is often better when it is cold outside. When there is snow you can ski, snowboard or skate. I don't do a lot of skiing but I do a lot of hiking during the winter. You should try to make sure you sweat. Allow yourself to get hot. It is also a good idea keep clean.

Wash frequently, keep your house clean and encourage other people to wash their hands. Just don't go overboard on the cleaning products and medicines or you could accidentally weaken your immune system.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)