The winter months are known to be time when we’re more likely to come down with illnesses like the cold and the flu. On today’s show, you’re going to learn how our biology and our immune systems fluctuate with the seasons, and why infectious illnesses are more common during the winter. We’re going to explore three science-backed habits you can implement to fortify your immune system, build resilience, and fight off illnesses this winter. You’re going to learn why regulated blood sugar is an essential ingredient for immune health, how connection can keep you healthy, and the critical role exercise plays in your risk for contracting illnesses. As always, this episode of The Model Health Show is packed with science, as well as actionable tips you can implement today. Immune health is an area of our health we can influence more than most folks realize, and I hope this episode empowers you to take control, build resiliency, and stay healthy all winter long! In this episode you’ll discover: Why seasonal changes induce more cases of the cold and flu. How the immune system adapts to seasonal variations. The connection between sugar, inflammation, and immune responses. What a cytokine storm is. How elevated blood sugar levels can inhibit your immune function. What immunometabolism is. The interface between the gut and the immune system. How your gut microbes respond to connection and interaction. The role oxytocin plays in immune health. How regular sexual activity impacts the immune system. The connection between laughter and natural killer cell activity. How regular exercise improves immune health. Why sedentary people are more likely to die from Covid-19. What immune surveillance is. How exercise impacts the process of immunosenescence. The role your lymphatic system plays in immune function. Specific immune parameters that are improved by walking. Items mentioned in this episode include: Levels.link/model -- Join today and get 2 free months with a one-year membership! Organifi.com/Model -- Use the coupon code MODEL for 20% off + free shipping! PiqueLife.com/shawn -- Get exclusive savings on bundles & subscriptions!   Join TMHS Facebook community - Model Nation  Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:  Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Soundcloud   Thanks to our Sponsors This episode is brought to you by Levels. A Study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition uncovered that one of the ways that the consumption of sugar suppresses the immune system, is by directly decreasing the capacity of Neutrophils, this is an aspect of your immune system, to be able to engulf pathogenic bacteria, so it suppresses or diminishes the capacity of these Neutrophils to engulf pathogenic bacteria for them to be neutralized and moved out of our system. Sources like refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and even pasteurized orange juice were noted in the study to cause this derangement. The greatest effects occurred between one and two hours after consuming the sugar, but the values were still significantly depressed for up to five hours after eating these refined sugars. So it really does a number on our immune cells ability to respond to foreign invaders All right. So keep that in mind. This isn't just hearsay, we wanna make sure that we're minding our blood glucose, and understanding that our response to certain foods is gonna depend on us. We all have a unique Metabolic fingerprint. And so, this is why I'm such a huge fan of folks at least having a stint, just track it for a week or two, at least once to utilize a continuous glucose monitor to be able to know firsthand, how certain foods affect you versus other people. I've seen my wife and I respond very differently to certain foods, and also her baseline blood glucose is different from mine. And it's so crazy because again, we might think that a food is "healthy" and it might be but it might impact our blood sugar in a negative way