Many people are freaking out about Coronavirus. Are you embodying fear or vibrant health these days? Fear keeps us in fight or flight mode and is damaging to our health.
Staying healthy is directly related to how you are showing up to support your immune system. How are you doing on these 5 basics that will help boost your immunity?
Get Enough of the Critical Vitamins Vitamin C is a nutrient that boosts immunity by supporting all sorts of cellular functions of the immune system. Our bodies don't make vitamin C, so it's important to make sure we're eating enough of it. There are plenty of sources from oranges on a basic level to elderberry, camu camu or acerola if you want to engage some favorite superfoods as allies. Vitamin D is another nutrient powerhouse that can modulate our immune responses as well. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection. The sun is a great source of vitamin D, go soak up some sunshine if you can. Chaga or Shiitake mushrooms for vitamin D work wonders. You can buy vitamin D test kits to see how your levels are doing. Other fantastic medicinal mushrooms to check out are reishi, lion's mane, cordyceps and turkey tail. Move (Your Blood) Take a yoga class. Go for a longer walk with your dog. Get outside and go for a run. Exercising regularly helps keep our blood flowing and regulate our immune systems to keep us in good health. Sleep Getting enough sleep is major for staying healthy! While we are snoozing our bodies repair. Do you have a regular bedtime ritual? Do you go to bed and rise at consistent times? How many hours are you clocking? Have you tried the herb ashwagandha? This herb among other things can help with sleep.
Cut Out or Limit Added Sugar + Excessive Alcohol
It's pretty clear now that refined sugar and too much alcohol and aren't good for us. Avoiding these poisons all together can be a pain but it has major impacts on how we think and feel. Our immune systems are much more effective at keeping us healthy by limiting these tricksters best we can. Even if we can take strategic breaks from added sugar and alcohol during cold & flu season, it makes a big difference.
Relax More The more stressed and worried we are, the less optimal our immune system works. Don't worry, be happy:) Easier said than done perhaps, but this mindshift is an effective one. If you notice yourself getting worked up or holding tension in your body - take a few moments for yourself to slow down your breathing and release any physical tension you notice.