Stay healthy this coming flu season- Strengthen your Immune system!

September, and back-to-school brings more potential for illnesses and the spread and exposure of many different viruses along with it. Being indoors, and in confined areas for long periods of time (in classrooms for example) -where our kids pick up germs and bring them home- to us!- leads to an increase in illness over the Fall and Winter months. It may seem as thought there is nothing you can do about this, and some will say that kids need to get sick, and it is how they strengthen there immature immune systems. There is some truth to that, and of course, we can not prevent all illness completely; however we can improve the odds against scumming to the virus in the first place, by keeping our immune system humming and ready to fight the next cold, or flu virus that we are exposed to.

There is the theory that we are constantly exposed to many different viruses on a daily basis, and if our body is in balance- through taking proper care to stay healthy- we are better able to fight off the virus, or at least reduce the severity of the symptoms and duration if we do get sick. If we are out-of- balance, stressed, working too hard or too much, overexercising, under-exercising, eating junk food, and not taking time for relaxation and enjoyment, we become run down and more susceptible to getting sick. If we make it a top priority take good are ourselves, illness becomes a rare occurrence. I have seen this be proved true, by making some changes in our family lifestyle, and am happy to say, we rarely get sick in our house, compared to past years when it seemed like we were passing different viruses around to each other every month.

Here are some tips I believe contribute to a healthy immune system. If any of these suggestions jump out at you, it's worth a try to see if it works! Keep in mind, most of these tips apply to children and teens as well.
Note: These suggestions are based on my personal experience and opinions and should not be taken as medical advice. Talk to your healthcare professional before making any changes to your current health regime.


1) What you put in your body:  Eat a low sugar, low junk (processed) food diet. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Drink lots of purified water throughout the day, and snack on healthy foods such as raw nuts and seeds. Just minimizing the processed sugar- loaded foods and beverages in your diet can make a huge difference in your health, and immune system function!

Supplements that strengthen immune function: (this is only a small list, there are endless options available,  but I find sticking to a few good ones, taken daily, works best and keeps it simple)

Vitamin C (kids can take chew-able tablets) I highly recommend any of the books listed here if you want to learn how vitamins can help keep you healthy: http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitamincure.html
Vitamin D3 (I take 5000IU / day, but talk to your physician or a Naturopath about what is right for you)
Moducare (available at health food stores) is a plant sterol that claims to strengthen immune function and reduce allergy symptoms.
Multi-Vitamin Find a good brand without fillers and synthetic ingredients.
Acidophilus- Keeps healthy bacteria in balance in the gut.
Healthy Fats: There are many versions and ways to get these healthy fats. A fish oil supplement is one of the best, but there are lots of plant based products available as well.




2) How much you move your body: Our bodies are meant to be active, not sitting in a chair all day long. Find chunks of time throughout your day to move your body. Go for a walk, stretch, do housework, take the stairs, park 2 blocks away from your destination and walk briskly to and from, take a class. Of course a structured work out routine is encouraged. Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes 5 days/ week. It all adds up. If you have a busy day, do a higher intensity session for 20 minutes, then fit in a brisk walk for 10-15 minutes after dinner! If you make it a priority, you will always find a way to fit it in.

3) What you put in your mind: Try to stay positive, and be around uplifting, positive people. Being in a constant state of negativity creates an imbalance in the body which weakens the immune system. Think good thoughts, speak positive words and surround yourself with others who do the same. Try to set an example for your children by showing them how to look for the bright side in every situation.

4) How you manage stress and balance your life: Make time every
 day to do something relaxing or enjoyable. Balance your life so that you are not focusing too much on one aspect. Balancing work, family, self-care, time with friends, and time alone is so important to overall health and well-being. Being overwhelmed all the time is no way to live life...make yourself a priority, because likely nobody else is going to!

5) How much you sleep: Aim to get 7-8 hours every night. I am sure you already know this one, but just wanted to include it because it is so important. If you are feeling wired at bedtime and can't settle down, (even with good "sleep hygiene" practices) talk to your doctor about taking Melatonin to help make you sleepy. It is safer than taking a prescribed sleeping pill, and is non-habit forming.

And obviously, proper and regular hand washing is a must! Teach your kids to wash before every meal, and especially right when they get home from school.

Incorporating some or all of these suggestions into your family life will improve your overall well-being that goes far beyond a healthy immune system. As I always say, when the body is in balance, everything flows beautifully and almost effortlessly.

Have an awesome healthy week!

Leanne

An effective tool for weight loss: Using "My Fitness Pal" as a tool to get healthy

Counting calories....for many people, just the idea of this creates anxiety! I have mixed views on using this approach, however; the most widely known, and most used 'rule of thumb' used by fitness trainers for weight/fat loss- is that to lose weight and inches, you must burn more calories everyday than you consume.

I always found the idea of counting calories, fat grams, protein etc. to be way too daunting and complicated.    so I rebelled and refused to do it...until I came across My Fitness Pal http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
It is a great tool for tracking your food intake and exercise..and, the best part? It's totally FREE!

Using this online database, you can log what you eat (most foods are already in there, and if not you can add it to your list yourself) as well as any physical activity (type, minutes) right from your smartphone or computer, and keep an accurate readout of where you are at. You get to decide how you are going to use those calories, and when you enter in your daily exercise, it allows for more calories to be consumed.
Using MFP is a wonderful way to gain awareness of how many calories are being consumed in a day, in ratio to physical activity, and can be a real eye opener! (Or a smack in the face, I'm not gonna lie!).
 Most people underestimate how many calories they consume in a day, and it is a factor in why so many people are overweight and obese. Too many calories in, not enough exercise= fat/weight gain.

Now, here is where I caution you when you are keeping track of your caloric intake. Please, do not obsess over it! Seriously, it can become a type of addiction, or obsession that can lead to disordered eating patterns for some people. If  you use this tool, in conjunction with other healthy living practices it will serve you well. If you go to the extreme side, and fixate on how many calories is in every bite you are putting in your mouth, and have the compulsive need to go run off the meal you just ate...that is when unhealthy behavior has taken over. Also keep in mind, it is the quality of the calories you are putting in your body that are most important. One Mc D's roll through the drive-thru, and you could use up most, if not all of you total calories for the day right there.

Using this tool will help you develop more awareness of what you are putting in your body...and overtime you will start to want to make better choices as you go along, and see progress!

Being someone that knows, from personal experience, about obsessing over food, I know how easy it can be to go 'off the rails' and find yourself consumed with counting calories, exercising, eating the perfect diet 24/7 and experiencing the heavy feeling of guilt when a 'forbidden food'  is eaten. Been there, done that!

 Here are some tidbits for you to keep in mind as you work towards your goals:

1)   Eat for nourishment and energy. Eating for any other reasons, and likely you are using food to numb emotional pain or uncomfortable feelings. See this blog for more on this subject. http://healthyvibe1977.blogspot.ca/2012/08/freedom-from-emotional-eating.html

2) Tell the voice in the head to take a hike! If you want to have dessert once in awhile, or a little (reasonable) treat every day- go for it, and don't allow the feelings of guilt consume you. Remember, it's what you do MOST OF THE TIME that really counts. My favorite indulgence is a few squares of 70% dark chocolate, and I have that most days of the week.

3) Be kind to yourself. Realize that bringing awareness to your eating habits takes courage. Deep change is very hard work, but remember that you are way ahead of everyone else who isn't even trying! So keep moving forward and you will succeed!

4) Do your best to eat lots of veggies, and one serving of greens everyday- doing this one thing will improve your health immensely, you will feel amazing! Buy organic as much as possible.

5) You can't out-exercise a bad diet..sorry to have to tell you this but if you eat fast food, lots of sugar and processed food, doughnuts, white flour (what I call crap food) on a regular basis, no amount of reasonable exercise is going to get you to your goal. Using the MFP tool, you will quickly see that as you track your daily activity and food choices.

6) Become aware of how certain foods make you feel. If you know downing a sugar loaded pop and doughnuts make you feel awful, sluggish, headache and down in the dumps...remember that feeling when you go for it the next time. Sometimes just connecting to the way foods make us feel, guides us to make better decisions the next time. Focus on eating foods that make you feel good.

I'd love to hear from you about how the MFP tool has helped you if you are already using it, and what you think of it.

~Leanne