10 Immunity Boosters for Busy Mothers
Do you push on through even when you’re exhausted? Find yourself watching binge watching NetFlix rather than hitting the hay? Know you ‘should’ be eating healthier, but end up grabbing whatever’s easiest?
Your amazing body has built-in mechanisms for internal rebalancing, but guess what happens when you constantly override them by running around too much, not eating well and staying up late?
You get sick.
Our bodies aren’t designed to live at the same pace all year round. You’re meant to be hibernating in winter! Yet now that we can shop, eat, bank and sit in front of a screen 24/7, we’ve stopped living in tune with the seasons.
If you’re determined to crank up your immune system and stay healthy this year read on…..
10 Immunity Boosters for Busy Mothers
1. Get enough zzz’s
Listen to your body. If you feel tired, don’t watch another TV show, hang out on social media or carry on working – go to bed!!
2. Drink warm lemon water
Take a mug of hot water and add the juice of half a lemon, some sliced fresh ginger and a dash of cayenne pepper. Lemon water flushes out toxins, aids digestion and is high in vitamin C. Ginger improves the absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients in the body. Cayenne pepper stimulates the circulatory system, aids digestion and helps regulate blood sugar. It also increases the temperature of your body and kick-starts your metabolism. (yee haa!)
3. Supercharge your breakfast
Have a nourishing, easily digestible breakfast. Porridge is perfect. Use organic jumbo oats (not the instant microwavable stuff) with half milk and half water. Add nuts, cinnamon, ground linseeds, chia seeds and a swirl of maple syrup. Experiment – grated dark chocolate (a little goes a long way), chopped banana, frozen berries or make it with coconut/almond/soya/rice milk.
4. Nourish yourself
Eat a balanced healthy diet. Focus on warming foods like stews and soups. Add healing herbs and pungent spices to raise your internal temperature – cayenne, turmeric, garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander. Include flora producing foods like live yogurt and miso soup in your diet. Take Echinacea and Vitamin C if you begin to feel low.
5. Mind the mucous
Avoid dairy – it produces snot! (Quite frankly there’s enough of that flying around in the winter already.) The only exception is live yogurt. We tend to move around less in the winter which makes our digestion sluggish – refined white foods (white pasta, rice) only make it worse. Cut down on sugar – it seriously saps your immune system.
6. Stay hydrated
Swap caffeine for warming natural teas: honey and lemon; a lemon, ginger and rosemary infusion or drink room temperature water – easier for your body to take on board than cold water.
7. Do yoga
Yoga’s great for keeping your immune system fighting fit. A recent study by Harvard Medical School discovered that people who practice yoga and meditation have more active ‘disease-fighting genes’ than those who don’t. Yoga’s relaxation effect could be as powerful as medical drugs, but without the harmful side effects.
8. Dry skin body brush
It’s a great morning pre-shower habit that gets your blood moving. Use a wooden handled brush with natural bristles (no plastic here sister!). Start at your feet and stroke your way up – brush towards your heart.
9. Slow down
Make decisions based on your values – learn to say no. Read How To Say No With Confidence if you find yourself overcommitting too often.
10. Breathe
Press pause and take 10 deep breaths. More if you have time.
Suzie’s Super Easy Root Vegetable Soup
This is my go-to winter soup – quick, healthy and delicious! Use any root veg in any ratio you like, it’ll always be yummy.
4 medium carrots
2 sweet potatoes
1 large onion
Half a celeriac (or 2 sticks celery)
3 leeks
Vegetable stock – about 1.5 litres/2.5 pints
To serve
Black and white sesame seeds
Unsweetened desiccated coconut
Mix in equal quantity
Method
Chop all the above into small pieces and pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil them simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Blitz until smooth. Serve with sesame seed and coconut sprinkles.
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What do you do to stay healthy in the winter? Please share your immune boosting tips in the box below.
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Very true and helpful tips to boost your immune system. Especially liked the one about doing yoga and meditation which as a yoga teacher can confirm is great to keep immune system strong. I also take a homeopathic medication called “oscillococcinum” once a week to boost immune system especially in flu season and give one to each member of my family, not to mention squeezing fresh orange juice for the whole family every morning to give everyone a good dose of the best Vitamin C.
Hey fellow yoga teacher! Thanks for the top tip about that homeopathic remedy – I’m going to check that out right now! 🙂
Phew …. I thought for one minute there was going to be no chocolate in the list!! Just as panic was beginning to set in, I see it snuck in under a porridge topping. Great ideas again from PB. Will definitely give them a go. x
Yes I am a sucker for good quality dark chocolate and do my best to have a little each day 😉
Great tips. Staying hydrated is so important. It flushes all the junk out of our systems! I also advocate taking Vitamin C and Vitamin D supplements all winter long.
Yes – vitamin D is so important. I have a liquid version (which I understand gets into your system quicker) but it tastes disgusting and that puts me off! You’ve reminded me I need to get back on track with that so I’m off to take some now. I’ll leave it out where I can see it so that I take it until it’s finished.(And then I’ll buy another one that tastes better!) Thanks for the reminder!
What about if you’re already ill. Any further advice here? Should I continue to practice yoga or stop? Cos there are differences of opinions. My children are 5 and 6 and we as a family just seem to keep getting ill and trying to set up my own business with this is really hard and frankly very stressful. Pls help thanks
Ah Zoe I hear you and I really sympathise. I remember when my kids were that age we all got sick all the time. And with also setting up your own business I can see you have a lot on your plate. I would say just give your body a complete rest and for now focus on breathing and meditation to help with the stress. Check out Deepak Chopra’s site for some guided meditations for healing (http://www.chopra.com/community/online-library/guided-meditations). When you feel ready come back to some gentle yoga – go for a restorative rather than a dynamic practice. Focus on forward bends, supported bridge and shoulderstand/plough pose. These are all very healing and good for your lymphatic system which in turn boosts your immune system. Use your yoga to nurture yourself – you’re giving out a lot of energy to your business and your family and it’s important to keep your own fuel tank full. Take care and let us know how you get on.
Thank u! Made it back to kundalini yoga yesterday and have been doing Marianne Williamson meditations each morning. Everyone I speak to says ah yes kids this age get sick loads so I’m learning to suck it up and try not to get too down about it. Thanks for the support. Loving this site and your posts. Well done ladies! Love xxxxx
Good for you Zoe! Keep up the good work xx
Awsome writeup…..thanks
Thanks Charu!
It’s good to read this as I’m sat in bed, feeling a tiny bit sorry for myself, full of a snotty cold, swollen sinus, thick phlegmy cough.
I’m going to have a steamy bath, slap on some Vicks vaporub, and make a pot of the lemon, ginger drink!
I hear you Sam! After priding myself on more than a year of NO sicknesses, I gave over to a nasty virus this winter and ended up feeling sorry for myself too. Take good care of yourself Sam. Sending a virtual hug xx