Even though you make it to the gym and spend your weekends getting fresh air your immune system may be stressed. Getting and keeping your immune system performing at its peak requires that you get consistent about certain habits in your daily routine:

Breakfast of Champions: In its 2007 Food & Health Survey, the International Food Information Council (IFIC) found that 90 percent of consumers named breakfast as the most important meal of the day, but only 49 percent report eating breakfast seven days per week. A well-balanced breakfast, such as orange juice, eggs with whole wheat toast and a side of fruit, for example, is not an option – it’s necessary. The nutrients provide the energy necessary to get your body going for the day ahead.

Drink Your H2O: The human body is composed of approximately 70 percent water, so it's important to replace what your body loses naturally from breathing, sweating and urinating. Water helps remove waste from the body, which is especially important during cough and cold season. Water helps regulate normal body temperature and is essential for healthy functioning of each cell in your body.

Wash Your Hands.and Wash Again: About 80 percent of infectious diseases are transmitted by touch, so your best protection is frequent hand washing with soap and water. Remember to wash before and after meals, after using the bathroom, handling raw meat, money or garbage. It's especially important to wash frequently and of course, after coughing, sneezing or pushing grocery carts. Using hand sanitizers is another good way to stay fresh, but they don't replace good old-fashioned hand washing.

Watch your medicine cabinet: There are drugs in our medicine cabinets that are known to rob our bodies of the essential vitamins and minerals, such as zinc, that support a strong immune system. Believed to shorten the duration of a cold and lessen the severity of a cold's symptoms, zinc is a vital component in boosting immunity. Acid blockers, certain blood pressure medications, birth control pills and heart medications are just a few of the medications that zap the body of zinc.

Let in (a Little) Light: While over-exposure to the sun is a big "no-no," it is important to expose ourselves to some form of natural sunlight because it boosts mood and body function, and new evidence shows that the production of vitamin D, which results from sun exposure can help protect against certain cancers.