Strengthen your body's defences and give winter woes the flick with these six simple steps:

1. Go for good bugs
For the immune system to work well, there must be balance, especially in the bowel. Bowel balance promotes digestive good health and boosts immunity, and is helped by eating probiotics such as Yakult or Vaalia yoghurt every day. Probiotics prevent post-antibiotic diarrhoea, too – take them while you’re on a course of medication and for at least two weeks after you stop.

2. Don’t wash it away
Our saliva, tears, body oil and sweat are important and need special attention. Don’t allow wind and sunburn to attack the immunity of the skin. Use a gentle cleanser or a bath oil to maintain natural skin oil, and don’t dry your skin too vigorously or you’ll irritate it.

Use saline sprays to moisturise your sinus pathways and keep the action of the mucus working optimally. If you spend a lot of time outdoors wear wraparound glasses, and don’t forget to chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva.

3. Focus on your diet
The pace of life means our diet often suffers upheaval and we miss out on the antioxidants from fruit, the benefit of low-GI grains and vegies. Aim for at least five servings of vegies and two of fruit a day. Use monounsaturated fats such as olive oil.

Eat a small handful of raw nuts daily, and small amounts of lean red meat, fish and chicken three times a week. Drink no more than two glasses of alcohol a day and have at least two alcohol-free days a week.

 
4. Sleep tight
Insomnia is an immune black spot for many of us – while snoring and sleep apnoea, where breathing stops altogether many times a night, also disrupt sleep. There is evidence that they stop the production of immune cells and drop immunity.

To promote good sleep, ban caffeine after midday and drink warm milk before you go to bed (its amino acids nourish the mood-stabilising hormone serotonin). Have a bath before bed, turn off the TV or computer early and read a book to help you doze off.

5. Reduce stress
Stress is a normal part of life and the reason we get out of bed each day – but when circumstances get beyond our control it’s called distress. To win the war on stress, make time each day to do what you want. Before going to bed, cross off the list of jobs you’ve completed and write tasks for the next day.  Meditation, yoga and prayer can help, and don’t be afraid to call on family, friends and support groups if you need to.

 
6. Walk this way
Each and every day from now on, go walking. There is no doubt aerobic exercise such as walking or cycling, and things such as stretching, keeps your muscles up to speed. And that’s only the start of the good news – such activity pumps your blood, circulates your cells, builds that all-important serotonin and improves your immunity.

A word of caution, though – don’t get carried away and run a marathon every day, because too much exercise will have the opposite effect.