Staying Healthy in Uncertain Times

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Are you feeling a little out of control right now?

Wondering what the best thing you can be doing for your health and wellbeing might be?

Many people may find themselves reacting instead of responding during stressful times. It has never been more important to take care of ourselves, both mentally and physically.

We all know what is being recommended as far as social distancing and washing hands, but is anyone really talking about what the most important thing we should be doing actually is?

Any ideas? Of course, it is looking after our own immune system. During a time like this it is so important to support and fortify our immune system.

There are many things we should be doing right now that will help to keep us healthy as we move through this uncertain time.

It All Begins With Your Immune System!

Your immune system is powerful and very intricate. Your immune system is also essential to so many different functions in your body.

What you eat, drink and how you live your life will have a direct impact on how well your immune system will function and how well it will support you at a time like this when it is most needed.

If you are not eating a healthy diet, not exercising, not getting enough deep sleep, drinking too much alcohol and smoking, and generally feeling fatigued, then you are much more prone to catching any bug or virus that is going around.

The healthier your lifestyle, the better prepared your body will be to handle stressful situations. This will affect you on a physical, mental and emotional level. Therefore you will be better equipped to deal with external stressors or pathogens both now and always.

Eating plenty of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamins, antioxidants and other phytochemicals are key to supporting your immune system.

Another way to look at this is that everything you put on your fork will either optimize or weaken your immune health.

Wouldn’t you rather give your body a fighting chance to be able to respond effectively with resilience during this time by choosing to eat well and take good care of yourself?

Some Basic Steps You Can Take Right Now

Firstly you need to understand that inflammation and immunity are deeply connected. By clearing inflammation from your body, you are well on your way towards supporting your overall immune system.

You may be wondering how to go about this. It really is as simple as removing any inflammatory triggers from your diet right now. You might not find this easy to do, but knowing that this step is key to the health of all your body systems, including your respiratory tract. You should seriously consider making these changes, as most if not all chronic health conditions today stem from inflammation in the body. And remember, inflammation and immunity are closely interrelated.

So to help clear inflammation, you must remove certain dietary inflammatory triggers. These are (but not limited to), all gluten, dairy, refined sugar, alcohol, processed foods and foods you may already know your body has an intolerance to.

Find ways to make healthy choices right now that will set you up for greater health and vibrancy both now and for the long-term.

Explore how you can begin to prepare the healthiest and tastiest meals possible. Try new things with new ingredients. Don’t have much in the fridge? Try googling the ingredients you do have to find delicious recipes. I often do this in my own kitchen when produce is getting low in my fridge, or I have some items I need to eat soon.

You simply type in the ingredients you have into your search bar and ask for recipes. I have found a few favorites doing this!

Please don’t be the type of person who says they are going begin to start cooking more fresh, healthy meals, and within days choose to go back to processed foods just because they seem easier. I know they can be comforting, but you need to think about boosting your immune health right now.

Besides, you should have plenty of time now to prepare those healthier options for yourself and your family.

Keep Things Moving!

Next you want to make sure that you are eliminating regularly to help remove toxins from the body. Did you know that you should be having two to three healthy bowel movements per day. You can check the Bristol Stool Chart to find out what healthy is.

To help with regular elimination, you need to stay well hydrated with plenty of water, but also soups, broths, fruits and vegetables. Of course those fruits and vegetables also contain much needed fiber to help things move along.

It is important to take a good quality probiotic or adding fermented foods to your diet regularly if you can tolerate them. These along with prebiotics found in certain vegetables will help to feed your microbiome which is also important to maintain a healthy immune system.

Of course adding in some form of daily movement with your body also aids in elimination.

Add in Supplements

Did you know that all animals can produce their own Vitamin C daily in their body? They can make up to 10,00 mg per day and up to 50,000 mg per day when they are under stress! Unfortunately humans cannot produce their own Vitamin C which is why it is important for us to supplement with it.

Vitamin C, (if you are able to find any right now!) has major benefits to help boost your immune system. Often larger amounts are recommended, but even taking a small amount like 200 mg a day can go a long way towards boosting your immune system. Right now it would be helpful to take at least 2000 mg per day.

While Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables, our body’s do not receive enough from food alone. Therefore, it is important to supplement with extra Vitamin C.

If you are taking higher amounts of Vitamin C, spread this throughout your day to give your body a better chance to assimilate it. The good thing about Vitamin C is that you can take it to body tolerance. What that means is that your body will want to excrete any excess it cannot use. So when your stools get very loose, time to cut back a little.

Taking Vitamin D at this time is also important. Deficiency has been linked to an increased chance of becoming ill. Studies have shown that supplementing with vitamin D can help protect against acute respiratory infections. Taking it with Vitamin K2 is often recommended.

Zinc is another essential nutrient for the body as well as a powerful antioxidant which is known to support immunity. While it can be found in certain foods, supplementing during the time of colds and flus is beneficial. It has even been described as the “gatekeeper of immune function.”

You can also add in certain superfoods, like turmeric with its active ingredient curcumin, you can also add more garlic and mushrooms to your meals. These can further support your immune system health.

Exercise And Movement

Even though you may be confined in close quarters, that does not mean that you can not find ways to keep your body moving!

There have been more and more options becoming available online thoughout this crisis. I myself have had to close my yoga studio and offer online classes instead!

Whether it is yoga, tai chi, dance, or fitness, find one that resonates with you and do it, regularly! Even just walking up and down the stairs several times.

It is recommended to do 30 minutes of physical exercise each day for adults and one hour a day for children.

If you have the luxury of being able to go out into nature for walks or hikes, even better as you will be getting fresh air into your lungs and perhaps some extra vitamin D!

Exercise helps to boost your immune system in several ways, including the creation of white blood cells, which fight disease, to circulate more rapidly, allowing them to detect illnesses sooner.

When you sweat during exercise, your body temperature increases and this can also help your body fight off infections.

Make Sure to Get Enough Quality Sleep

There are too many people today who do not get enough good, quality sleep. Sleep is vital to your health. Did you know that your body actually heals itself during sleep?

Also important is maintaining your circadium rythym by going to sleep at a reasonable hour. Our ancestors would slow everything down at sunset and wake up at sunrise. This is the body’s natural circadian rythym.

If you have difficulty getting to sleep, here is where it is important to create those good habits. Choosing a reasonable time to get into bed is one thing, but there are other important things to be mindful of before getting into bed.

Something that is becoming much more talked about today is to minimize your exposure to blue light. Blue light is emitted from those screens that we are on late at night. Exposure to this blue light is a sure fire way to disrupt your circadian rythym.

Try to spend the hour before bedtime away from all screens. Read a book, do some relaxing yoga, take an epsom salt bath. The magnesium in the the epsom salt will help relax your muscles. Add in some lavender essential oil and you will further help to relax your mind and body for sleep.

Make sure your bedroom is cooler than other rooms in your home. Make sure your bedroom is as dark as you can make it, or wear an eye mask to bed to block all light. If you are sensitive to sound as I am, then use ear plugs when sleeping.

Do not have a TV in your bedroom. Unplug all unneccessary electronics, cover all lights from electronics. Do not have any wireless devices in your bedroom. If you must use your cell phone as your alarm, please put it on airplane mode. Never charge your phone beside your bed, this will have those nasty EMF’s radiating you all night long!

In other words, do all that you can to avoid the disruption of getting a good nights sleep!

Decrease Your Screen Time

While it is important to stay abreast of the current global and local situation, we all know what sitting in front of the news all day or seeing too many posts on social media can do to our minds.

We also know it is probably going to be some time before life gets back to normal, what ever normal will be looking like after all this.

So do your best to create some new habits during this time. Especially if you are one of the unfortunate ones who has lost their job and now has lots of time on their hands.

Find a new routine that will not only help to boost your immune system using some of the tips outlined above, but also incorporating some mind body techniques that are going to help you emotionally during this difficult time.

Nourish Yourself Mentally

Stress is going to cause inflammation and reduce your immune systems capacity to cope. So finding ways to reduce stress are going to be key right now.

For those of us who are introverts, we will be able to handle this situation a lot easier than those who are more extroverted.

Those who are introverted are most likely quite familiar with spending quiet time with themselves, in fact this is what they prefer. Introverts are able to go deep within themselves and tap into those emergency reservoirs of courage, clarity, and calm.

However, extroverts are going to need to create some new habits that will help them to tap into these states as well. Incorporating meditation, mindfullness, yoga, tai chi, EFT or tapping. These practices will help them to settle within themselves and help to ease some of the emotional stress they find themselves struggling with.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Stay Connected

Just because you are being asked to stay inside does not mean you must refrain having close relationships or stop having communication with others. It is a time now to become more creative in how you nurture those relationships and perhaps find others.

Times like these often bring communties together in a very special way.

Today there are so many different ways to stay connected and be able to communicate with each other. Why not go back to writing and mailing actual letters? Can you imagine how this may make someone feel, especially the older generation who are still not comfortable using things like social media.

Then we have phone calls, skype calls and technology like Zoom meetings which are all a great way to connect with friends and loved ones.

We are seeing people doing exercises together at the end of their driveways, seniors in care homes playing bingo at the doorway of their rooms in the hallway, all great ways to stay active mentally and physically. But most important staying in communication with one another!

This truly is a time for making more compassionate, loving, and conscious choices.

As a Certified Health Coach who is passionate about educating and empowering my clients towards their optimal health, I am here to help you during this stressful time. Please feel free to reach out to me for a FREE 30 minute Nutritional Strategy Session where I can give you some extra health tips that apply specifically to you.

Also, below, you will find links to some upcoming FREE webinars I am offering to my community. If you were unable to attend my previous monthly webinars, but would be interested in listening to them, please let me know and I would be happy to share the recordings with you!

Topics so far are;

Make This The Healthiest Holiday Season Yet

New Year, New You

Why You Need a Health Coach

Plant Based Eating

Let’s Talk Intermittent Fasting

What a Nutritionist Can Do For You

Your Nourishing Nutritionist,

Lynne Bowsher

Nourishment for body, mind and spirit

7 Steps to Help Fight Stress and Fatigue

and step into a life of purpose

If you have been struggling with stress, fatigue or wanting more purpose in your life, download my e-book to get 7 steps towards turning your life around today!