‘Tis cold and flu season which means all things sniffles, tissues, and early bedtimes. But are you tired of being plagued year in and year out by the nagging sickness that seems to knock you out at least once a year? Here are my 6 cheap and easy immune-boosting tips.
The immune system is a fascinating subject and one that surprisingly doesn’t get a ton of stage time. We hear about cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, depression, and autoimmunity. We even hear about good hand washing, flu vaccines and what your mom always told you – to have a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup.
But my question is, why aren’t we talking more about the very system that could also keep us well?
The one that is continuously running, even without us knowing, working to get rid of invaders in the never-ending battle that our body faces every single day. What if we learned about it, and instead of trying to take matters into our own hands we understood the very system that could keep us well?
The immune system is what we’re breaking down on today’s podcast. From what it is, how it works and ultimately how we can support it because the supportive aspect is the key. Like everything, things change when we learn to work with our body instead of against it.
Inside today’s podcast, you’ll learn a lot – maybe more than you care to know – about your immune system. From what it needs to thrive and how you can create the right environment to prevent illness this year and in the many years to come.
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6 ways to support your immune system
Inside the podcast, I share ten cheap and easy ideas to help your immune system. For now, I wanted to break down six of those and give you the details on how I do this in my daily life. The practical application – or what I consider the best part.
Make sure you listen to the podcast, so you have a solid understanding of how the immune system works so this all becomes crystal clear.
1. oxygenate your body
The most vital nutrient in our body is oxygen — the very purpose of every breath we take. Oxygen is a great supporter of the immune system, helping to fire up the cells in our body to function well rather than grasping for air. But most of us are not getting enough oxygen. Whether due to stress and living tense or not moving our bodies enough we’re deprived, creating a more viable environment for illness to thrive.
PRACTICE DEEP BREATHING
One way to better oxygenate your body is to practice deep breathing. Simply taking 3-5 deep breaths a couple of times a day can make all of the difference. Try it out every time you come to a stop light or during commercial breaks at night. Stop and focus on your breathing choosing to inhale through your belly {yes pushing it out} for 4-5 counts and exhaling for the same. Repeat that 3-5 times a couple of times a day can significantly change your health, your energy, and even your happiness.
2. practice seasonality
For centuries seasons were a vital part of everyday life. In the days before we had perfectly controlled temperatures, ways to transport produce all over the globe, and we had to hunt for food. But now that most of us live in homes and work in environments outside of the natural flow of life – regulated to a T – it’s easy to do the same thing day in and day out. Not even realizing that while our environment might allow us to be repetitive in nature – our body certainly isn’t.
I explain all of this in detail right here. The short answer, your body is changing with the season. Your hormones are shifting as is your circadian rhythm and even your immune system is switching gears. One essential way to help your body is to be aware of these changes and change with it.
Live seasonally seems simple and insignificant but hormonally speaking – it could be one of the most significant changes you make.
Here are a few practical changes to make:
- Save smoothies for spring and summer when your body is trying to cool off and eat more soups and casseroles in the winter.
- Take more time to rest and recover during the shorter days and allow your body to be pushed in the long days of summer.
Make sure you check out these post to learn all about seasonality and how to effectively incorporate it into your life.
3. de-stress or deal with stress
Stress could be considered one of the most detrimental health crisis of our day. Stress seems to be everywhere, and not the good stress we used to face. Today our stress generally consists of sitting and sometimes emotionally eating only adding to the stress load in the body.
While it’s impossible to avoid stress – it is possible to limit it or at least learn ways to deal with it. Whether that be you have a major life change like a change in job, or you learn ways to practice self-care as a means for de-stressing. Whatever you do, pinpoint the stress and then come up with a stress plan so your body can live more at ease.
Here are some ways to de-stress
- Practice daily self-care
- Take hot baths
- Create a morning routine
- Hit the trails for a long walk with your dog or a friend
- Get social
- Create space just to be
4. move your body {or at least your fluid}
One central component of our immune system is our lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is home to our lymph nodes and lymph fluid which are used to detoxify the body through circulating toxins and other substances to be filtered and detoxified out of the body.
But the thing about the lymphatic system – unlike the cardiovascular system- it has no central pump. That means to move it you have to move your body or at least the fluid.
There are a few great ways to do this, of course exercising is the best option, but outside of that here are my favorites:
5. supplement
Of course, like anything in the body, supplementation is a vital and necessary component. In many cases, we’re not able in the “typical” diet to get all of the required nutrients we need to support the massive job of the immune system. That’s where supplementation can benefit – to be a supplement to an already healthy diet making sure the nutrients are there to thrive.
You don’t need a lot – a little goes a long way.
Here are my favorite immune boosting supplements.
6. stop feeding viruses
Just like you need food to thrive, so do all of those germs we’re working to prevent. There happens to be a few foods that viruses and bacteria love to consume. Substances that help them replicate, grow and stay healthy and steady in your body. Not what we want at all. Take these foods into account, maybe even skipping them, to prevent illness this flu season and prevent it all year long.
Alcohol
It acts like a diuretic dehydrating the body making the immune system more sluggish. Plus, it is a toxin that the liver has to filtrate backing it up or congesting it preventing it from filtering out the virus and bacteria.
Caffeine
It can slow down the detoxification pathway interfering with your bodies ability to destroy and eliminate toxins. Plus, it can stimulate certain areas of the body but at the wrong times decreasing the effectiveness and interfering with your circadian rhythm.
Dairy Products
Technically considered one of the high-inflammatory causing foods, it sends out its own immune response. But also it has been known to be a great food source for viruses and bacteria.
Gluten-Containing Foods
The same is true with gluten-containing foods. Not only is it an inflammatory causing food but it also acts as a great food source and fuel source for unnecessary pathogens in the body.
Poultry {including eggs}
This is a little bit more tricky because no one wants to know that chicken could be causing more illness. I mean your mom did give you a lot of chicken noodle soup when you were sick. Speaking of that, the broth is fantastic, the chicken not so much. This is a two-fold response to why no poultry when you’re sick or trying to prevent sickness. One is that poultry is a great carrier of viruses and bacteria {1}. But also, eggs and poultry tend to be great food for them – thus why they make great carriers.
Sugar
Of course, sugar is on the list, when isn’t it when it comes to our health? We all know by this point that excess sugar is not doing anything beneficial to the body – only creating more stress. That means, to prevent illness and get better quicker when you do get sick, you have to limit your sugar intake. It’s a stress on the body plus the greatest hormonal disruptor – disrupting your immune system. Kick the sugar habit – or at least the added sugar – and definitely skip the sports drinks. They will not rehydrate you like you’ve been told.
listen to your body
Like always, the most importantly thing you could ever do is listen to your body. It knows what it needs and signals how it feels. That way you know when you certainly shouldn’t push it too hard and even when you need to grab some extra zzz’s. Take time to slow down and hear it. Providing what it needs and creating a healthy evironment for it to thrive.
pick one thing
Now pick one thing and start implementing it today. It doesn’t have to be a big change, but the little ones pay off to create big changes in your body. Stay alert and when a cold or flu does strike, hit the holistic methods first!
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