Boost your immunity!

Due to the Corona Virus outbreak we are now moving into a time where it is more important than ever to stay put and only venture out if absolutely necessary. But if you do need to pop to the shops here are some last reminders of ways you can boost your immune system and give yourself the best chance of avoiding this scary thing that is lurking amongst us.

☀️ Keep with getting outside in nature and breathing in the oxygen from the trees around us and increasing vitamin D – I talked about how important vitamin D is in my last post. Remember to keep that 2 metre space up if you walk past people – it’s not rude – though sometimes it feels like it, remember you can still smile! A good analogy is if you imagine they are vaping and you see the smoke flood the air around them - that is what you want to avoid.

🍊 Keep up a good intake of Vitamin C, if you want to supplement at the moment you can with an extra 2000mg a day for an extra boost. If you do end up getting CV-19 you can take much larger buffered intakes of vitamin C. There have been many reports of doctors using high dose vitamin C in China and in the US to counter the effects of the virus, but for everyday immune support you can just increase your intake through food and supplements as vitamin C is not something that can be manufactured by our bodies. Vitamin C is important for the production and protection of our white blood cells needed for fighting off infection so it is ultra important at the moment. The top ten sources of vitamin C in our diet are: papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, brussel sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, oranges, kiwi and kale.

🏃‍♀️ Being active and doing exercise has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety and is a good distraction from any fear that is around us at the moment. Remember stress suppresses the immune system. The endorphins created during exercise make us happier and help us sleep better, alongside helping us lose weight – who is snacking and drinking more alcohol at the moment!? Exercise will help offset that and improve your health in so many more ways.

🥬 Use this time to try to eat a wider range of foods and not stick with your usual tried and tested meals. You might not be able to get exactly what you want from the supermarket at the moment and you could have things in your cupboard that you can incorporate that you obviously haven’t in the past. If you have more time on your hands, google recipes that include different ingredients that you can buy or to use up the old cupboard foods so that you can try out something new. Eating a wider range of food increases your intake of probiotics which is needed for good gut health – and 70% of your immune system comes from the good bacteria in your gut! You may consider taking a probiotic for a month or so for extra immune strengthening.

🧤 We are still learning about this virus and we don’t fully understand its mechanisms for being passed on so we should try to be extra vigilant. If you have a diffuser popping some oregano essential oil in it which is good for clearing the air. Wipe down surfaces more than you might and disinfect your door bells and letter boxes. It has been suggested that the virus can stay on cardboard for 24 hours, on stainless steel for 2 days and on plastic for 3 days. So keep using gloves to open the door and take packages in and remember to use antibacterial gel, handwash or wash your hands well after.

🌈 Other than that, sleeping well rejuvenates our immune system, eating a range of rainbow foods for their maximum antioxidant benefit, focusing on more nutrient dense foods rather than fast foods and just relaxing. Deep breathing exercises or meditation can really help to lower our cortisol and give our immune system the best chance of working optimally. If you have to head out, indeed if you are a keyworker or need to go to the office still, you can do some positive affirmations like ‘I am protected’ and you can even visualise a protective shield around you that you zip up before leaving your house!

And lastly, remember to do the things that make you happy, laugh, connect and relax. You’ve got this! 👊