13 Daily habits to support your immune health this cold & flu season

(Morgan Chamberlain/ Mind Body Green) — Ready or not, cold and flu season is here. This time of year is tough on our immune systems, but adding some healthy habits to your everyday routine can help bolster your body’s defense system.

Follow this daily schedule to stay healthy and enable your body to ward off colds, the flu, and any other illness it may encounter.

If you can, bundle up and head outside for 10-20 minutes first thing in the morning. Exposing your eyes to early morning light helps increase dopamine—a neurotransmitter that helps support innate immunity.

Seeing natural light upon waking also helps boost your cortisol, which helps wake you up, energize you for the day, and regulate your circadian rhythm. In addition to helping you fall asleep at a reasonable hour at the end of your day, a healthy circadian rhythm has been found to support immune function (even outside of sleep health). (…)