Ok, let’s chat coronavirus for a sec. I felt compelled to share my thoughts as I have gotten quite a few questions, asking if I’m fearful of contracting the virus. Here’s me: “I’m Living Life & Staying Healthy”.
I’m not fearful of the virus. Obviously, statistically speaking, if I were to get the coronavirus, I would recover from it. That said, I do feel for the elders or people with compromised immune systems and I do understand the reason for being cautious and responsible. I will try and live with caution but not fear. However, I will be distancing myself socially. I feel that we do in fact, have to do our due diligence. If keeping to ourselves for a few weeks is all we have to do the help slow the spread of this virus down, I’ll partake in this action!
Boosting the Immune System
Let’s start by making sure we can be as healthy as possible. This is how I try to live my life on the daily. This is really how we should all be living our lives but in case you need a quick reminder, here ya go.
- Drink or eat gut healthy foods! Drink bone broth. You can make your own or you can purchase through reputable brands. This is a great way to keep the gut in a healthy state. Eat fermented foods such as sauerkraut or kimchi. You can take a probiotic, especially if you have been on an anti-biotic. A healthy gut will help keep up a great immune system.
- Get out the in sun! Vitamin D is so important this time of year. We are just coming out of the darker days, so that’s good. Exposing yourself to sunlight is more beneficial than you know! Upon waking (if the sun is already out), sit outside and soak in the sun for 15 minutes. If you can’t get outdoor exposure, try and get a good Vitamin D3 supplement.
- SLEEP! I can’t put enough emphasis on how much sleep plays a role in your health, especially when illness surrounds us. I aim for 7 (although we all should be getting at least 8!). I am an early riser so 7 is usually my max. BUT if I’m feeling under the weather or perhaps colds are circulating in my home, I get myself to bed earlier!
- Partying like a rockstar! Okay – ‘not’ partying like a rockstar. Alcohol weakens our immune system. Simple as that. And while you’re out partying, you probably won’t be getting adequate sleep. I’m not by any means suggesting you don’t live life – but be mindful. Our bodies feel the stress of trying to recover from a night of excessive alcohol and/or late nights.
- Positive mindset! This my friend, is what I really want you to take away from this post. Let’s keep the positivity up and the negativity down. Our bodies are smart. Do you ever put a connection to illness/sickness with a time that you have been angry, sad, moody or pissed off at the world? It’s true though – our bodies detect this and again, immune system is compromised. Keep smiling. Say positive things/think positive thoughts. Let your body relax in the fact that it feels safe and it doesn’t have to fight anything.
- Be mindful of stress! The positive mindset flows right into this area. Stress is detected in our bodies – whether you’re worried about the virus going around or running from a bear. Plain and simple. Our little selves don’t know how to differentiate stress – it’s just there and our bodies react accordingly. Limit it as much as you can. And if that means skipping a workout or just taking an outdoor walk vs. a vigorous training session, do it. Walk away from situations that don’t bring value to your well-being.
- Just ‘breathe’! I love when my iwatch tells me to breathe. Do you know how many times it has caught me in a state of being tense? And my watch will vibrate saying, “Breathe”. I thought it was silly at first but wow ….what a great reminder to relax the shoulders, sit up and just breathe.
Live Life
While all of the above are great tools to try and keep the immune system healthy, I also just want to remind you to keep living life. So many ‘halts’ in our country and I get it. I get that we need to be proactive but I also know that we can’t stress about the ‘what ifs’. We need to keep living life while being mindful about what’s going on around us.
I’m not and have never been a worry wart. But I choose to live intentionally for those who are compromised at this time. I certainly don’t want to be the ‘carrier’ to someone who may have a hard time recovering from coronavirus. So how I do ‘keep living life’? Well, I have stopped going to the gym but I will keep moving. I will take my dog on run/walks. Being outdoors is great for our well-being and getting the vitamin D is beneficial, especially now.
I will also do some FaceTime chats with family and friends. Maybe add in a virtual happy hour from time to time! We can also hold these virtual “get togethers” with our dinner hour. I have 2 children who live out of our home and I think a dinner “together” would be awesome! Obviously, these are ways to keep connected and still ‘live on’ without feeling like you’re ostracized.
Good Intentions
My intention for this post was a friendly reminder that no matter what illness is going on in the world, we must always keep our health a priority! We may not be able to “beat the virus” but we can recover. It’s quite easy to do – building the immune system & creating a healthy gut – so while this is a very good time to start, I encourage you to keep the process ongoing. Coronavirus or otherwise, this is something we should be doing already. Your body will thank you for it!
