How to Boost your Immune System this Holiday Season!

🎄Don’t suppress emotions! Let those tears run when they need to! Feeling is healing. When we cry we are releasing cortisol & adrenaline (stress hormones) through our tears (Waller, 2018). These hormones suppress our immune system, so heal your body and cry when you need to!

🎄Reduce Stress: This is hard during the holidays, but try and keep everything simple. You can do yoga, meditation, or find things you enjoy to reduce stress. Journaling about stressful things also improves immunity!

🎄Laugh: Choose your company wisely, & spend time with care-free people who do not criticize you or bring you down because this negatively impacts your immune system!! (Unless you are trying to cheer someone up, then this can boost your immunity!)

🎄Limit Sugar: This is a big one because this seriously depresses your immune function! Did you know just one serving of sugar lowers the activity of your immune system IMMEDIATELY for hours? Sugar can reduce the body’s defenses by 75% or more for 4-6 hours (Waller, 2018)!

🎄Eat well: Organic fruits & veggies are a must! These are high in nutrients & antioxidants. To create healthy immune cells, you need healthy fats that are found in things like olive oil, dark green leafy greens, & flax seeds. Add in your protein, & include fermented products like kefir which all support immune function!

🎄Sleep more: If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re impairing the activity of natural killer cells & slowing down the production of disease-fighting white blood cells! Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night! Our body needs deep sleep to boost that immune system!

🎄Exercise in a balanced way: Research shows if you exercise 30 minutes a day your immunity is boosted, BUT much more than that weakens it. Just make sure you have a good balance between rest & activity (Waller, 2018).

Reference

Waller, P. (2018). Deeply holistic: A guide to intuitive self-care, know your body, live consciously, and nurture your spirit. North Atlantic Books.