How to Support Your Immune System All Year Round

Helpful ways to strengthen your immune system and fight off disease.

Your immune system is quite remarkable. It is active and ready to defend you against disease-causing microorganisms every single day. Many of us only think about “boosting” our immune system when cold and flu season hits. However, your immune system is protecting you from pathogens, repairing damage, and even defending against chronic disease all the time.

Today, I want to walk you through what the immune system actually is, why it's important all year long, and how you can care for it daily.

What Is the Immune System?

Your immune system is a complex, beautifully coordinated network of tissues, cells, and organs that work together to protect you from infection, injury, and disease. If you want to truly understand your immune health, it’s good to know which components are supporting you. These include:

The immune system is made of many cells, tissues and organs working together to defend us

Thymus - Located behind your breastbone, the thymus is where T-cells (a type of white blood cell) mature which help identify and destroy infected or cancerous cells.

Bone Marrow - This is the soft tissue inside bones where all immune cells are born. It produces white blood cells like lymphocytes and neutrophils, crucial to fighting infections.

Lymphatic System - A network of lymph nodes and vessels that transport lymph, a fluid rich in white blood cells. It filters out toxins, waste, and foreign invaders.

Spleen - Acts like a giant lymph node to filter blood, store white blood cells, and helps mount an immune response.

Gut (Gastrointestinal Tract) - Over 70% of your immune system is housed in your gut! It contains immune cells and beneficial bacteria that help recognise and neutralise harmful invaders.

Skin and Mucosal Barriers - Your first line of defence is any physical barrier like skin, saliva, and mucous membranes that can trap and destroy pathogens before they even enter the body.

Why It’s Crucial to Support Immune Health Year-Round

As we enter the winter months, discussion often turns to boosting our immune systems. But this is complicated and not necessarily a good thing. Why? Because there are so many different types of immune cells, responding to many different microbes. Which immune cells should you boost? What’s the optimum number or mix of cells for the best immunity? Scientists don’t know the answer, but what we can do, is look at our diet and lifestyle.

Poor immune health isn’t always obvious, but symptoms can show up with frequent infections in places like the sinuses, ears or urinary tract. A sluggish immune system makes you more vulnerable to both acute illnesses and long-term health problems so daily care is essential. Poor immune health can lead to autoimmune diseases, allergies, asthma, chronic inflammation, certain cancers and immunodeficiency disorders.

The Role of Inflammation

Many of us know that a strong immune system plays a key role in preventing chronic diseases, but did you know that is also manages inflammation?

Acute inflammation is necessary to sound the alarm ready to isolate and eliminate harmful cells then initiate the healing process. However, if our immune system is constantly being triggered then inflammation can continue which is known as chronic inflammation. There could be many reasons for the triggers including infections, toxins or medications.

Chronic inflammation is linked to many diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and joint disease, allergies and COPD. . There is a lot going on inside the body such as death of healthy cells, scarring (fibrosis) and tissue damage that this hidden so will go unnoticed until we start to feel symptoms such as headaches, joint pain or fatigue. If inflammation continues, it can go on to damage DNA, dysregulate cell proliferation and interfere with normal cellular functions. Meaning that energy production and cell signalling is impacted – no wonder we feel tired!

Chronic inflammation is at the root of most modern illnesses so it’s vital that we recognise our symptoms and start putting in daily care practices to support our immune health.

How to Support Your Immune System Daily

As a health coach, I like to break this down into simple, consistent lifestyle practices. The suggestions below work together to keep your immune cells strong, your defences balanced, and inflammation in check.

Don’t try to overhaul your current life and add all these in at once. You’ll feel overwhelmed, demotivated and give up. The idea is to add one thing in at a time that is achievable and celebrate that win!

Notice how you feel when you implement something new. Then, when you’re ready, move on to the next thing you’d like to implement.

If you’d like support with implementing healthy habits then book a free discovery call with me.

5 Top Tips to Support Immune Health

1. Eat to Fuel Your Immune Cells

I always advocate eating a colourful plate and the nutrients below play direct roles in immune function:

• Vitamin C supports white blood cell activity and powerful antioxidant e.g. citrus, peppers, strawberries

• Zinc is essential for immune cell development and wound healing e.g. pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, shellfish

• Vitamin D modulates immune response and reduces risk of respiratory infection e.g. sunlight, fatty fish, fortified foods

• Selenium is a great antioxidant and reduces inflammation e.g. Brazil nuts, mushrooms

• Probiotics and prebiotics support gut bacteria that interact directly with immune cells e.g. fermented foods, garlic, onions, bananas

2. Prioritise Quality Sleep

During deep sleep, your body produces and releases cytokines, proteins that regulate immune responses. Chronic sleep deprivation lowers your natural killer cell activity and increases inflammation.

Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep per night. Keep a regular schedule, limit caffeine late in the day, and wind down with relaxing activities like stretching, reading, or meditation. Read my blog for more support with sleep.

3. Keep Stress in Check

Chronic stress increases cortisol levels, which suppresses the function of T-cells and natural killer cells. It also contributes to chronic low-grade inflammation - the enemy of a balanced immune system. Check out my blog to understand more about stress and how to manage it.

Try:

• Deep breathing (4-7-8 technique)

• Journaling

• Walking in nature

• Mindfulness or guided meditation apps

  
  

4. Stay Physically Active

Moderate exercise improves circulation of immune cells and enhances immune surveillance. It also helps reduce stress and inflammation.

Just 30 minutes of walking, yoga, or resistance training 4–5 times a week can boost immune resilience. But beware of overtraining, which can suppress immune function.

5. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Water is essential for lymphatic function, detoxification, and transporting nutrients to your cells. Even mild dehydration can impair physical performance and immune activity.

Extra Support

During travel, illness exposure, seasonal shifts, or stressful times, your immune system may need some added support:

• Vitamin D –  check your levels with a test from your GP or local health care professional

• Increase vitamin C or zinc during illness or high-risk periods

• Use elderberry, echinacea, or reishi mushroom extracts short-term to enhance immune response

• Rest and recover — immune cells work best when you're calm, nourished, and rested

Your immune system is your body’s intelligent, proactive shield against daily stressors, injuries, and disease. When you consistently care for it through whole foods, restorative sleep, movement, and emotional wellbeing, you create a foundation of resilience.

Supporting your immune health isn’t about taking a magic supplement when you feel a tickle in your throat, it’s about how you live every day.

Take care of your body, and your immune system will take care of you.

If you’re feeling stuck or unsure about how to take the next step toward better health, I can help you.

Check out my private programmes here, or book a free discovery call to find out more.