Given what is going on around the world the past few years, there has never really been a bigger time to focus on our immune health. There are many keys to unlock this mystery of the intricacies of how God designed our immune system – let’s jump into a few simple tips and healthy habits I’ve learned along my own health journey and as a Physical Therapist since 1998.

1/ ADEQUATE QUALITY SLEEP 

This is the first and one of the most critical habits you can create. Our bodies rest and recover while we sleep so getting enough hours of deep rest is key to whole body physical and mental health. Do you have a wind-down time routine? Given we are living in a technological, urgent time in history – many of us have a Smart Phone that constantly is dinging and reminding us that there is something or someone needing our attention. One of the key things I’d recommend is having 2 hours before bed without any Social Media, or email and to minimize screen time during this window of time.

😴 What helps you wind down?

📚 Reading a book?

☕️ Having a cup of tea and a chat with your spouse?

📲 Wifi signals can also interfere with sleep cycles – so I recommend you place your phone to charge in another room to avoid sleep disturbances.

Many other strategies around sleep will be covered in a future blog – but these are a great place to start for today! 🌟

2/ GET ACTIVE EVERYDAY

We’ve all heard it since we were kids – and well – it’s true! 👟Getting active everyday helps release happy endorphins, increases oxygen by taking deeper breaths and gets the blood circulating to areas it needs to go! Try to do 20 minutes of activity a day – walking, or biking or climbing stairs! 🚶🏼You’ll thank me for the challenge to get started I promise – I don’t know anybody ever that has said they regretted going for a walk – even when they initially didn’t want to! 

“Start moving, a step at a time, step after step. The positive momentum will take you from there.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

 3/ CUT OUT PROCESSED FOOD

Fake food can compromise your immune system and put you at a disadvantage in having enough of your ‘good guys’ at the front lines ready to defend you against foreign bugs you come into contact with! Eat the rainbow everyday! Each colour of fresh fruit and veg contains key nutrients our bodies need! I recommend you go around the perimeter of the grocery store and leave the stuff in packages and cans for a ‘rainy day’! 

4/ FRESH AIR/SUNLIGHT REGULARLY!

Spending some time in the fresh air increases your physical health by improving your immune system. ☀️ Direct sunlight is our bodies’ main source of Vitamin D, which has been known to help fight off osteoporosis, cancer and depression. Even just a few minutes of sun exposure each day can help increase your levels of Vitamin D. 💪🏼 Sunlight also helps our immune system by energising T cells, which help our body by fighting against infection. 

5/ HEALTHY SOCIAL INTERACTION

💁🏼‍♀️ We are created for community! We know that hearing our mum’s voice increase happy hormones in our bodies allowing us to feel more relaxed! Being with people who can encourage us, inspire us and love on us is known to help us be healthier mentally and physically! 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Quality time with friends can help us be more of who God created us to be, can help us set goals and find purpose outside of ourselves! Our happiness meter goes up and thus our mental health is benefitting and we know laughter truly is the best medicine! Science actually proves this! I did a research study in my University days that I can share in another blog post! Thus, the other side of this coin is to avoid spending too much time with people who are critical, negative and that drain us emotionally – we need to be discerning and put our oxygen mask on ourselves first before we can help others – be wise about how much ‘water we let in our boats’ – let’s stay afloat with the strength we have in Jesus and keep our eyes on Him to guide us in all our relationships and friendships! 👑

Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers. ~ Proverbs 18:24

6/ EAT FOODS RICH IN VIT C, D, A, E and ZINC

We are what we eat! These are a few of the keys we can be sure to have on board in abundance to best support our immune cells. 🍊Vitamin C is SUPER important as an anti-oxidant, and the role it platys in supporting energy protection, as well as production of Collagen- which is the ‘glue’ that holds us all together! We can think of our immune system as a Castle – we want strong, fortified walls to keep out the bad guys and to help us defend! Thus, having the key building blocks to ensure our bodies are strong and resilient for when the storms unexpectedly come along is key. Zinc acts like the gatekeeper in supporting cellular health and function – thus critically important in our immune response.

7/ REDUCE/MANAGE STRESS

Even good stress is felt as stress on the body! We all are a bit of a slave to our “To-Do” Lists aren’t we?! I’ve learned a few key tips over the years I’d love to pass on! Brain Dump – before you go to bed grab a pen and paper and write out everything in your brain! This way it won’t be floating around in your mind while you are trying to get that quality sleep! Then, in the morning, pray and seek God’s wisdom and discernment to priortize the 3 most important on this list and do those first! Then let God lead you through your day and what gets done is a bonus and what doesn’t can be done the next day as it wasn’t a priority! Reduce your social media and time in front of the TV and news. We all know we don’t come away feeling more fullfilled and purposeful after taking in this content do we?! Fill up instead on the goodness of God – read the bible, share and pray with close friends and your family and ask God to reveal to you the key things you need to know from the world! Especially these days – so much division, negativity, critical spirit – let’s be the LIGHT shall we! Let’s share HOPE and JOY – but we need to first get filled up with all that God has for us to be prepared for the day ahead! Start with prayer, worship and a thankful heart as you jump into His Word – giving God the first fruits of your morning! 🌅

Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere!

8/ SUPPLEMENT WITH HIGH QUALITY PRE & PROBIOTICS, OMEGA 3 AND BETA GLUCANS

We know that 70-80% of our immune system is housed in our gut! Thus – gut health is IMPERATIVE that we focus on making sure this is a priority! Gut health is also directly linked to brain health – so ensure you have the highest of quality supplements on board to help create a healthy environment in your gut! Reach out if you’d like my suggestions on what I find is the BEST the industry has to offer! 🔑

9/ ACTIVATION OF CELLULAR PATHWAYS TO OPTIMIZE OUR OWN PRODUCTION OF ANTIOXIDANTS ` GLUTATHIONE, SUPER OXIDE DISMUTASE AND CATALASE.

Glutathione is the molecule of life and the Master De-toxifer/Antioxidant in our body – next to water it is THE most important molecule in our body! I have a whole blog and other videos on the WHY it is so critical that we deal with OXIDATIVE STRESS at all ages! 💥 Check it out on the Wellness Channel for more info!

10/ REDUCE SUGAR & ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

This is critical to not only how you feel today but how you’ll function in the future! There is a HUGE rise of undiagnosed pre-diabetics/insulin resistent people around the globe! 🧁 The average 4-8 year old eats 50LBS of sugar in a YEAR!  We know sugar compromises our mitochondria function (batteries in all our cells that create energy for organ and cellular functions). 🍭We know sugar oxidizes our cells +++ and we also know that sugar is very addictive!! It literally triggers the brain to want more of it!! Well this is a slippery slope – as we know increase in sugar consumption = increase in insulin production = increase in storing fat = increase in heart disease. 

Artificial sweeteners are absolutely a NO GO Zone!! These are chemicals that seriously mess with our bodies in BIG, BAD ways – trust me – there is not enough time toda