Strengthen your immune system: How to stay
fit through the autumn

When the days get shorter and the sun comes out less often, your body needs a plan B too. Suddenly, coughing can be heard everywhere again - in the gym, in the office, on the yoga mat. But cold isn't the enemy, it's just the test.
If you understand how the immune system works, you can train it in a targeted way - and this is best achieved where exercise, regeneration and nutrition work together perfectly: in the hotelsINshape partner hotels.

A strong immune system needs regular activation. Moderate exercise stimulates blood circulation, strengthens the respiratory tract and energises immune cells.
However, constant stress and overtraining weaken the immune system. If you constantly overtrain, you open the so-called "open window " - a time window in which viruses have an easy time of it.

In the fitness hotels and sports hotels of hotelsINshape, you can achieve a balance:
modern fitness studios for targeted strength training, yoga and Pilates rooms for balance and flexibility, and fantastic outdoor options for gentle endurance sessions.

Whether it's morning yoga with a mountain view, trail running through autumn forests or interval training in the panorama gym - every session stimulates the immune system.

Tip: 2-3 moderate workouts per week are ideal. Those who ensure sufficient regeneration after intensive training will strengthen their immune system in the long term.

The easiest way to train the body's defences is to go outside. Daylight raises vitamin D levels, fresh air strengthens the mucous membranes and temperature fluctuations train the circulation.

Many hotelsINshape partner hotels are located in such a way that you can set off directly from your room into nature - for hiking, running or cycling. And if you're brave enough, you can go even further: ice baths or cold chambers are part of the fixed regeneration programme in more and more hotels.

These controlled cold stimuli put the body on alert, increase blood circulation and activate the body's defence cells. Studies show: People who regularly use short cold stimuli are sick less often and regenerate more quickly after stress.

Tip: Only use cold in moderation - always after exercise and never when you feel ill.

Cold activates, heat relaxes. And it is precisely this combination that is the secret of many wellness hotels with a fitness focus.
A sauna session acts like a gentle fever: the temperature rises, immune cells become active and blood circulation improves. Afterwards, cold water or snow provides vascular training - a biological reset for body and mind.

Almost all hotelsINshape partner hotels have extensive sauna areas with steam baths, infrared cabins, plunge pools and fresh air rooms. Some supplement this with modern longevity offers: Cryotherapy, red light, PEMF or vagus nerve stimulation - small tools with a big effect on regeneration and the immune system.

Around 70 per cent of the immune system is located in the gut. A varied, plant-orientated diet strengthens the intestinal flora and keeps inflammation low.

Pay particular attention now:

Rest is not a standstill, but the basis for performance. While you sleep, the immune system switches into repair mode: cells are renewed, inflammation is slowed down and the body's defences are regenerated.

Many of our hotels combine yoga, meditation, breathwork or sound healing with regenerative spa treatments. These methods lower cortisol levels and promote deep sleep - a state in which the body heals itself.

Those who consciously slow down not only strengthen their defences, but also their inner stability.

On cold days, a ginger and lemon tea is more than just a feel-good drink. Fresh ginger is cut into slices and infused with boiling water, cooled slightly before lemon juice is added. Only stir in the honey when the tea is warm enough to drink - this preserves the enzymes and antibacterial agents.

This ritual warms, soothes the mucous membranes and provides antioxidant plant substances. Perfect after outdoor training or a sauna session.