It is key for you to stay healthy in order to work as productively as you can and to live life to the fullest.  One of the greatest culprits to our health is the common cold.  Unfortunately, there is no known cure at this point, so our best way of fighting the common cold is avoiding it altogether.  Fortunately, there are some natural ways to help you ward off the common cold.

You should perform aerobic exercise on a regular basis.  This is because aerobic exercises will cause your heart to pump larger amounts of blood, which causes you to breathe faster and transfer more oxygen from your lungs to your blood.  In addition, your body will heat up as you work out, which enhances your body’s natural virus-killing cells, thereby making it harder for viruses to invade your body and make you sick.

You should eat as many foods containing phytochemicals as you can.  “Phyto” means plants, and natural chemicals in plants enhance the vitamins found in food.  Therefore, you should add as many dark green, yellow, and red fruits and vegetables as you can to your diet.

Another food you should add to your diet is low-fat yogurt.  Some studies have shown that people who ate a cup of yogurt per day cut their susceptibility to colds by 25%.  Researchers believe that this is likely due to the beneficial bacteria found in yogurt, as it likely stimulates the body’s immune system to fight against disease.

An activity you should definitely not do is to smoke.  Smokers tend to get colds more often, as well as more severe colds that typically last longer than those that non-smokers get.  Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes the cilia inside of your nose.  These delicate hairs are what work to keep cold and flu viruses out of your nasal passages.  It is reported that just one cigarette can paralyze cilia for up to 40 minutes at a time.

You should also cut your consumption of alcohol if you want to reduce your susceptibility to colds.  Alcohol dehydrates the body, plus it suppresses the immune system in a number of different ways.  This is why heavier drinkers suffer more from initial infections and secondary complications.

Try to learn how to relax, as this will allow your immune system to activate at a moment’s notice.  Interleukins, leaders in the immune system that battle germs and viruses, increase in the bloodstream whenever you are relaxed.  The best way to relax yourself is to focus on a mental image that brings you peace and tranquility.  Focus on this image for 30 minutes each day.  It is important to note that being bored during this exercise will not lead to a relaxed state, and thus, will provide no benefit to you in helping to keep away colds.

As you can see, there are several natural methods you can employ to keep yourself from getting sick.  A combination of what to include in your diet, what not to include in your diet, and relaxation are key to keeping your immune system strong and healthy from germs and viruses.  By utilizing the information above, you stand the best chance of remaining healthy and not coming down with a cold.