It is important to keep your immune system as strong as possible. Some of the ways that we are all aware of to keep our immune systems strong are getting adequate rest, practicing good hygiene habits, eating nutritious foods and exercising on a regular basis. If you can keep your immune system working at its highest level, you have the best chance of staying healthy.
Getting adequate rest is easier said than done for some of us. Some people suffer from insomnia, others suffer from not being able to sleep through the night, others from being overworked and overstressed. Meditation is an excellent way to calm your mind and prepare you for a good night’s sleep. There are many guided meditations to be found on YouTube and they are easy and pleasurable to listen to. The Honest Guys are an excellent guided meditation source to look for on YouTube. They have a lot of guided meditations to choose from. If you wind down with a meditation before you go to bed each night, you will soon notice an improvement. Here is a guided sleep meditation from The Honest Guys to listen to: https://youtu.be/2sKmuALcbss
Mom always told you to wash your hands! Now more than ever we need to heed this reminder. Many illnesses can enter your body through touching a surface that has the virus and then touching your face, especially your nose where most viruses tend to enter the body. Washing your hands frequently with warm soapy water, especially after touching objects, surfaces, mail, etc. will cut down your chances of getting sick from a virus that may be living in one of these places. Make sure that you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Sing the Happy Birthday song to yourself during your washing and your 20 seconds will be over before you know it. If you don’t have access to soap and water, you can use a homemade hand sanitizer.
HOMEMADE HAND SANITIZER RECIPE:
3/4 cup of isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (preferably 99 percent, but at least 70 percent) Purchase on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3acuqb7
1/4 cup of aloe vera gel (to help keep your hands smooth and to counteract the harshness of alcohol) Purchase on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2vNHKUE
10 drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead. Purchase on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2WCM4B9
Combine in a spray bottle. Use a few sprays on your hands when needed.
Fruits and Vegetables are important to keep your immune system working well. Find ways to add fruits and vegetables to every meal. Protein smoothies are a great way to add a serving of fruit to your diet and can be used as a meal replacement or even dessert. Some that I have made literally tastes like a milkshake! A brand of protein supplement I like to use is Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein French Vanilla Crème flavored. You can purchase here: https://amzn.to/3aa8rBP As far as vitamin supplements go, I take a multi-vitamin and fish oil pill daily. When I feel like I am run down or possibly coming down with a virus, I up my Vitamin C intake. I swear by a product called Emergen-C Immunity +. It is a powder that you add to water that contains 1000mg of Vitamin C, Plus Vitamin D and Zinc Immune Support. It is a fizzy drink mix that also has antioxidants & electrolytes. I swear when I drink this daily during the times when I feel like I am coming down with something, I don’t get sick. You can purchase here: https://amzn.to/2J7LK5n And don’t forget to DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!! Water helps to keep you hydrated and flush toxins from your body. Lemon water is the best choice to get some Vitamin C along with your water intake. I squeeze half a lemon in my water. If you want to put lemon slices in your water, make sure you use organic lemons to cut down on the pesticides.
Exercising on a regular basis is a good habit to get into if you don’t already do it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to exercise. My philosophy is whenever I sweat or force air out of my lungs through exercise, I am releasing toxins and illness from my body. Every day, I take my dog, Cali, on a half-hour walk. She loves being out in nature and it gets her to exercise along with myself. I supplement my workouts with a 20 minute HIIT Peloton bike ride. I LOVE my Peloton bike. It is one of my favorite ways to workout and I love to ride with the instructors Ally Love, Leanne Hainsby and Denis Morton. I always feel so proud of myself when I am able to keep up with the instructor’s commands. It also makes me feel like I have accomplished such a great workout when I get off of the bike. If you are contemplating buying a Peloton bike, I say GO FOR IT! You won’t regret it!
Try to stay as healthy as possible, especially during these uncertain times. Meditate before you go to bed, wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, eat nutritious foods and take vitamin supplements, and exercise on a regular basis. Stay well!
