10 Ways to Boost your Immune System
Stay Healthy, Take Care
and Fight off Colds + Flus
With cold and flu season well under way, and the added stress that has been holding on for months thanks to COVID, taking care of our immune system is more paramount than ever.
The importance of a strong immune system really can’t be overstated. And when you consider that the number one way to weaken your immune system is stress, then you’ve probably guessed that one of our tips is gonna be: “Reduce Stress”. I appreciate that is easier said then done, and sometimes feels almost impossible. But I bet you have a few tricks up your sleeve! And to help you cope, why not double down on the other 9 tips. Reducing stress might be something you struggle with, and I get that, but you don’t need to be a dehydrated, tired, cold, inactive, dirty, stressed person now do you!!
Focus on making small, healthy changes while prioritizing doing things to reduce stress. Your immune system will thank you for it.
Here’s 10 ways to give your immune system a boost:
Get Plenty of Sleep
and lots of rest!
Our body looks forward to sleep more than we’re looking forward to being able to travel more freely! Sleep is a major tool in your body’s wellness kit, and helps with the rest and repair your body needs. You know how you feel tired when you are sick?! That is your body signalling it needs you to rest. Sleeping gives your body the opportunity to fix what is wrong. Sleep is fantastic for strengthening your body’s immune response, furthermore, directing the cells of your immune system to find whatever is attaching your system and destroy it.
Plan for rest. After work I try to take time to rest before making dinner. Reading a book, taking a bath, or a short meditation are my go to’s. Petting my dog and listening to my kids tell me about their day is pretty swell as well! And when it comes to the weekend, a lazy afternoon on the couch does more good than not for this busy mama.
Even the act of lying down, with your eyes closed, for just a few minutes signals to your body it is time to rest and repair. I believe those few minutes will do more to help your immune system than almost anything else you can do!
Stay Hydrated
Your skin will reward you with a gorgeous glow!
Drinking enough water to stay hydrated during regular times is important enough, but when it comes to strengthening your immune system to fight off colds + flus, even more so. Drinking lots of water makes it easier for your body to eliminate the toxins or bacteria that may end up making you sick. Staying optimally hydrated helps all the functions of your body operate more fluidly, and easily - and anything we can do make it easier on our body to stay healthy, we need to be doing. Plus, the reward will be there when you look in the mirror and your gorgeous healthy glow is staring back at you.
Reduce Stress
For most of us, during regular life, stress was already just a part of the program. Sometimes in short bursts, like a demanding day at work, or for years, like taking care of young children or an ailing parent. Sometimes it is even helpful - stress is often what motivates me at work to rise to the occasion. At other times, it’s just totally overwhelming.
However, if the stress we are facing is consistent and chronic, it will take a toll on our immune system.
When life events, (like a global pandemic) are beyond our ability to cope, it causes our body to produce higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Higher levels of cortisol in our blood, leads to higher levels of inflammation.
Stress also reduces the body’s white blood cells, which are key in fighting off infection - therefore increasing your risk of picking up viruses, colds and flus. As inflammation rises to the point of our immune system being over worked - our body’s natural defence mechanisms are left defenceless.
But don’t let that stress you out!
Cause I know, if you look within you to, you have the knowledge and tools to find things you enjoy and that are effective to help reduce your stress. Now is the time to pull out those tools and use them. They will ease up the cortisol and reduce inflammation, and strengthen your immune system.
Meditating, lots of sleep, practicing mindfulness, walks in nature, talks with friends, exercise, hot baths, and gentle yoga are some great tools if you aren’t already using them.
Check out my blog post FEELING GOOD When it’s Easy To Feel The Opposite for my tips and tools that help me manage stress.
Stay Warm
Keeping your body warm means your immune system doesn’t have to fight so hard to warm you up. Keep your home warmer, cuddle with a hot water bottle, eat at least one hot meal a day, and dress warm!
When I lived in Beijing (actually during the height of SARS - but that’s a whole other story!!) I threw my back out and was quite ill. Upon arriving to my Chinese doctor, barely able to walk, the first thing he did was turn on the heat lamps and cover me with warming blankets.
After a round of adjustments, acupuncture, and cupping, he asked if I had been keeping the areas of my kidneys warm. (We were in the middle of a very cold winter). Well, no, I replied. You see, I got a super cute cropped jacket that year that was leaving my lower back totally exposed to the winter elements every time I went outside. Chinese doctor’s have a way of calling you on your sh#! - which is exactly what he did. To this day, I swear keeping my body warm in the winter, especially my lower back, as it helps keep my immune system strong.
Wash your Hands
This one, I think it’s safe to say, you are very familar with. If not, then go wash your damn hands!! According to the Centre for Disease Control “Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.”
Walk in Nature
Living on Vancouver Island has never felt like more of a blessing than it has the past 18 months. Walking in the woods has been a proven method to reduce stress and improve your health, and we happen to be surrounded by some of the most stunning woods in the world. Just getting in nature allows us to slow down and reconnect with a sense of peace - to check in with our body, and lower those damaging stress hormones.
Eat Whole Foods
Fuelling your body with nutritious foods is the ultimate act of self care, and your body will thank you for it. Whole Foods are rich in vitamins, nutrients and enzymes - all of which help strengthen your immune system. Incorporate plenty of greens to alkalinize the body, reduce acidity levels and lower inflammation. Be sure to round things off with adequate protein, healthy fats, and flavorful seasonings to keep things interesting. If you are new to preparing your own food, keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be gourmet to be good. :)
Immune strengthening whole foods:
Citrus
Red Pepper
Broccoli
Leafy Greens
Garlic
Ginger
Turmeric
Mushrooms
Oil of Oregano
Echinacea
Nuts and Seeds
Clean Sources of Protein
Drink Healing Liquids
Consuming more liquids is great, not just for extra hydration and nurtients, but to give your digestive system a break. Your digestive system works harder than any system in the body, so when you can enjoy a liquid meal and give it the night off, your body can use that extra energy for fighting off any viruses or bacteria that may be present. The vitamins and nutrients in something like cold pressed juice are easily absorbed and put to good use right away. Liquids are also a great way to incorporate superfoods and herbs, like the oil of oregano in our top selling Fight Club, or the reishi in our Medicinal Mushroom Broth.
Get Adequate Exercise
Exercise makes you feel healthier, more energetic, and reduces stress. For most of us, exercise helps us feel better about ourselves - more confidant and accomplished. Honestly, I think the mental benefits are perhaps what we need most right now!
If you are already an avid exerciser, don’t fall into the trap of overdoing it. Over exerting yourself could have the opposite effect of strengthening your immune system and cause you to burn out instead. The key is to make it be enjoyable, make it varied, and most of all, make it consistent. Despite the endless list of health benefits surrounding physical exercise, I couldn’t find much science to specifically back up how it could strengthen your immune system . . . but I am putting it here anyway! Cause you know, and I know, it’s gonna help!
Drink in Moderation
OK - I know some of my wine-chugging friends are going to boo me for putting this in, but there ya have it. As tempting as drinking as a tool to manage stess might be, it’s simply not a good idea when trying to strengthen your immune system. Moderation is key. My favourite hack is to put 1/3 of a Fight Club in a wine glass and top with sparkling water. It feels fancy, is incredibly flavorful, and like I have something to celebrate - all the while it is helping strengthen my immune system. Then when I want to enjoy a glass of wine, I really enjoy it.
Cheers darlings! Stay strong, stay healthy, stay GOOD.
XO, Andrea