Boosting Your Immune System

Right now more than ever we all need to focus on keeping our immune system up. It's no secret the coronavirus is rapidly spreading, so staying healthy should be our top priority! While hunkering down at home might keep us from being exposed, it's still going to be important to keep our immune systems healthy to prevent any sickness from knocking us down. So here's a few ways we can do just that!

How to Boost Your Immune System

Wash your hands - obvious one and by now it's probably drilled into our brains. It's important to continue this habit even while we're stuck at home. Make sure to wash with warm water, a decent amount of soap and scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. Doctors recommend singing happy birthday 2 times for a self timer for your washing duration.

Minimize stress - Harder to do right now but also SO important! When we stress, cortisol, our stress hormone, turns off cells in our immune systems. Which of course makes us more susceptible to getting sick. So now more than ever it's important to practice stress reducing activities such as meditating, journaling, going for walks, taking baths, exercising etc.

Get adequate sleep - Sleep relates to stress. When we are sleep deprived, our immune systems are weakened because our bodies are in a stressed state. Even though you might not be forced to wake up as early with no school and possibly no work, it's still important to focus on getting at least 8 hours of sleep, 10-12 for kiddos!

Watch your diet - 80% of your immune system is in your gut. If your digestive system is functioning properly and your gut is happy, your more likely to stay healthy! Focus on eating foods high in antioxidants like berries, omega-3's, and lots of fresh vegetables. Making sure you're limiting inflammatory foods like sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and fried foods. Including fermented foods like kombucha, saurekraut, kimchi and yogurt can also help to support the good bacteria in your gut and a healthy immune system.

Supplement as needed - Experts recommend that a daily dose of Vitamin D can boost your immune system. This can be obtained by just getting outside in the sunlight everyday but if you're not able to, supplementing with a good Vitamin D can be beneficial. One way to know if you're deficient in Vitamin D is to have your levels tested. If you're low, it's best to take fat or oils to increase absorption.

Stay active - Research shows that working out is a powerful way to boost your immune system. Exercise causes your antibodies and white blood cells to circulate more rapidly and fight off bacteria. It can also reduce stress which, as discussed above, can help to reduce your chances of getting sick.

Now that most gyms are closed, staying active might be a little more difficult. Luckily working out from home is a great option we all have! With minimal equipment needed you can get in a great workout in as little as 20 minutes. You can even recruit your kiddos to join! Click here to access my at home workout program that's easy to follow, requires minimal equipment and stay on top of your activity to keep your immune system up!