This past weekend I was part of an exciting road trip as we traveled to Sudbury and then Ottawa to visit universities for my youngest son. We stayed at hotels and with our gracious friends. We had four of our meals on the road at places like KFC, McDonald’s, Subway and Tim Horton’s. Although many of these places have healthy options, I will admit that I was not able to make good choices. By the way that is NOT a picture of me eating a hamburger, coke and fries. These poor food choices combined with late nights, long drives and some fun socials with friends resulted in my immunity being suppressed and I had a cold this week. The great news when it comes to having a healthy immune system through the winter is that IT IS POSSIBLE. The bad news is that it is NOT EASY. We are stepping into our “Boost your Immune System” month at our clinic. I would like to emphasize that our plan to stay healthy, happy and pressing into our dreams through the winter MUST START NOW!! We will discuss the SIX S system to eradicate a miserable winter of colds, flus and infections.
The Six “S” System
STRESS – Worry, anxiety and fear create a catecholamine storm in your body that suppresses your immunity. Stay in joy, peace and love to boost your immunity. Easier said than done. Fatigue is often not physical, but mental, emotional or spiritual. When we are in worry or fear it saps our energy. Sometimes we just need to start dreaming again OR re-connect to a fun hobby, pastime or friend. Set some goals to do something FUN through the winter months.
SPINE- Uncorrected spinal misalignments create a MASSIVE stress hormone release and send the body into a fight or flight state which suppresses the immune system. In addition, many nerve pathways to immune tissue can be compromised with spinal misalignments. Get under regular chiropractic care and if you are not then consider getting a free check-up in December at our clinic during our Christmas compassion month.
SEDENTARY- Movement is life, being sedentary is death!!! Have a plan to know how you will continue to stay active when it is minus 40 degrees outside. Exercise a minimum of 30-60 minutes 4 x per week to boost your immunity. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
SHOPPING- What you put in your shopping cart will kill or heal you. Avoid sugar, wheat, bad oils (canola, vegetable, soy, sunflower, safflower) and too much dairy. These immune suppressing foods don’t mix with health and vitality.
SLEEP- Quality is more important than quantity!! The hours BEFORE midnight are the golden hours. It is better to get 7 hours of good sleep (10:30-5:30) than 8 hours of bad sleep (1:00 am to 9:00 am). Avoid the temptation to stay up too late watching TV. Read in bed.
SUPPLEMENTS- Everyone from birth to death should be taking 3 basic supplements, all of which boost the immune system: Omega 3 oils (fish oils), Vitamin D (especially in winter) and a good quality Multi Vitamin and Mineral. Add the amazing essential oils “On-guard” and oregano oil to your arsenal to those times when your immunity is being challenged.
Try these 6 steps and this winter will be your healthiest winter yet! For more information, check out our video on How to Boost your Immune System!