This is the time of year for getting sick. The cashier is coughing into their hand as they give you your change and your kids are teeming with one illness after another!
How do you keep yourself fit so that you can look after everyone else?
There are many factors that can compromise your immunity: poor nutrition, lack of sleep, lack of exercise, pollution and mental imbalances are the top culprits.
So here is my five point plan for keeping yourself healthy in the sickly season:
Time to move 
Your lymphatic system is responsible for distributing those cells that fight infection. Think of it as your army. Only your army is reliant on your movement to get the troops to the site of infection, ready for battle. The more we move the more likely we are to have our troops at the right place, at the right time.
* 30 minutes of brisk exercise a day will help lymph movement and boost immunity.
Stop dieting and get a healthy relationship with food
Diets are a psychological nightmare. It’s like sprinting for the first half of a marathon and wondering why you lose steam and give up. The truth is so many of us just don’t know how to reduce calories in a healthy way. When you lose weight you release toxins that have been stored up in your fat cells so this process needs to be managed carefully. Start developing a healthy relationship with real food that will nourish you.
* Like my page on facebook for recipes, ideas and inspiration https://www.facebook.com/Radiant-Health-Nutrition-736019216509050/
Sleep more
As a parent, I still laugh in the face of this statement. However, the evidence shows that lost sleep can contribute to accelerated ageing and compromised immunity. That’s after just 1 night’s lost sleep. Find ways of making it a priority.
* Book in some early nights, you will think clearer and function more effectively so time lost can be better time gained.
Detox your life
From painting your house to cleaning your kitchen and spritzing on your favourite perfume, we increasingly live in a toxic world. If you live in the city, you expose yourself to many pollutants. In the country it is pesticides. So what can you actively do to help?
*Choose eco house products and make sure you use gloves for household cleaning, buy low toxic paint brands and spray perfume on your clothes – not your skin.
Think yourself well
Psychology shows us that our outlook on life can strengthen or compromise our immune system. Some of the healthiest pockets of the world are blessed with strong communities and family culture. Everything we listen to, think about and say about our self has an impact on how we feel and this can affect our immune function.
* Prioritize things that make you feel good: blast out your favourite song, book some you-time or listen to a youtube meditation.
Let’s recap
So now that you have the tools, remember that by prioritising yourself you will be so much more effective when you are giving back to other people.
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