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Nov 21, 2016
SELF CARE

Got a Cold? Boost your Immune System this Winter

What’s your plan of action when you feel a cold or other illness brewing? In our home, we take a multi-faceted approach to boost our immune system.

First, we have a mantra that we’ve said for years. It sounds a little hokey, but we use it whenever one of us is feeling run down and susceptible to illness: I am healthy, and I will remain healthy. This mindset shift works as a code to ourselves. And it’s a signal to each other, I’d better take care of myself.

It’s a cue that we need to get more sleep, take in more clear liquids, and tweak our diet.

What steps should we take, and why?

  • Get More Sleep – People who sleep fewer than seven hours a night are nearly three times more likely to get a cold than those who average eight or more hours of sleep. That’s according to a 2009 study at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Try Light Exercise – a reduced-intensity workout such as a walk instead of a run, actually can benefit you if your symptoms are above the neck, according to the Mayo Clinic.
  • Take in More Liquids – Decaf tea, water with lemon, and clear soups and bone broth are great   fluids to work in. Avoid sugary drinks – even ginger ale – alcohol, and dairy. These can increase inflammation, suppress the immune system, and actually make your symptoms worse.
  • Manage Stress – Mind-body practices such as journaling and meditation and focused breathing can help with stress management and support the immune system.
  • Focus on Nutrition – Beyond drinking clear soup or bone broth, eating so-called “superfoods” can help boost your antioxidant intake. They also keep inflammation low. Green, leafy vegetables, blueberries, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids also help. Make sure your meals are colorful; eat the rainbow!

If your diet is less than optimal, as is many Americans’, it can be important to supplement with plant-based nutrition and immune-system boosters, particularly vitamins C, D3 (with K2 to aid absorption), fish oil, and probiotics. Your doctor may have other recommendations.

Can We Boost Our Immune Systems?

According to immunologist AJ Lanigan, a healthy immune system typically operates with about a 30% capacity to respond to unhealthy invaders. But we can boost it to operate at 50% or even 70% efficiency, he says.

Many pieces go together to support and spur our immune system. How are your immune-boosting methods working? What steps are you willing to try next time you’re feeling a bit under the weather?

Hi, I’m Amy, an integrative health coach, offering grace and space for a healthier you. If you like to stay connected, please subscribe to my newsletter, the Well Check. 

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MEET AMY

Hi! I'm Amy Hoogervorst, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, integrative health coach, and creative entrepreneur offering grace and space for a healthier you. Read More…

Amy Hoogervorst is a ReCODE 2.0 Certified Health Coach. Badge is blue and green lettering primarily on a white background

Latest on the Blog

A Bredesen ReCODE coach helps people concerned about or living with cognitive decline implement lifestyle changes that are part of the Bredesen protocol. Colorful image depicts a brain with many synapses and activity

Recently I trained as a Bredesen ReCODE Coach, adding to my professional knowledge base and credentials as I look to help anyone concerned about their brain health. But my desire to prevent and reverse cognitive decline goes beyond a professional achievement. It’s deeply personal, too. About five years ago, someone close to me received a […]

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Why is good sleep important? Let me count the ways Why is good sleep important? Let me count the ways ...

1. Good sleep improves immunity, as the cytokines produced during sleep help the immune system fight common infections such as colds and flu. Chronic sleep loss can increase risks for immunodeficiency.

2. Quality sleep this lowers the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Heart rate and blood pressure decrease during sleep, allowing the heart and vascular system to rest. Sleep also impacts the body's relationship with insulin. Seven+ hours of sleep a night helps regulate blood sugar.

3. Sleep benefits brain health by giving the brain a chance to grow, reorganize, restructure, and make new neural connections. A lack of sleep also impairs judgment and an ability to think quickly.

4. Sleep improves mood and helps people manage stress by reducing incidents of poor performance, muddied thinking, and low energy. Quality sleep also can reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health strains.

5. Weight loss and maintenance are more successful with quality sleep. Short sleep of less than 7 hours per night has been linked to a greater risk of weight gain and may lead to greater food cravings and lower energy for other activities such as exercise.

Which of these health benefits of sleep interests you most?

(Information sourced from the National Sleep Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

#sleepforhealth #sleepbenefits #worldsleepday #qualitysleep #graceandspaceforahealthieryou #integrativehealthcoach #nbchwc #sleephealth #physicalhealth #mentalhealth #brainhealth
Wait. Pause. Notice. Be still. That's the message Wait. Pause. Notice. Be still.

That's the message I got this afternoon, when I looked up and noticed I'd been sitting in my parked car in front of this bush for a full five minutes. And I hadn't seen it.

I was absorbed by something else. My mind elsewhere, making a list and checking it twice, so to speak. And when I looked up, the beauty of this holly took my breath away. The way the light was hitting the leaves and berries at that moment, I had to get out of my car and snap a pic.

Almost immediately, I felt my shoulders relax, my heart open, my mind clear, even if only for a moment.

'Tis the season. For the hustle and bustle. Life on the hamster wheel. Automatic pilot. The checking off of lists. But that doesn't have to be the only way.

What's helped you - wait, pause, notice, be still - lately?

#gratefulforapause #breathe #graceandspaceforahealthieryou 
#mindfulawareness #pause #nature #notice #lifepractice #spiritualpractice #bestill #integrativehealthcoach
Been a while since we've done this together ... Wo Been a while since we've done this together ... Women's Wellness Walk in the Woods, this Saturday morning - who's interested? Send me a DM if you're in central NC - Durham, Chapel Hill area - and would like to get outside this weekend and explore an area trail in a small group. Nothing strenuous, and nothing boring. 😁 

#graceandspaceforahealthieryou #integrativehealthcoach #letsgo #wellnesswalk #getoutside #autumninnc #chapelhill #durhamnc #durm #trailwalk #freshair #movement #physicalactivity
"There are steps we can all take now to prevent th "There are steps we can all take now to prevent the cognitive decline that experts have long believed unavoidable and irreversible."
-Dale Bredesen, M.D.

If you're a subscriber to my Well Check e-letter, in your inbox this morning, you'll see this quote and a way to learn a bit more about why I trained this year as a certified Bredesen ReCODE health coach (and what that means.)

To subscribe, visit the link in my bio or amyhoogervorst.com/subscribe; I'll be sharing more about brain health in upcoming emails and articles.

September is World Alzheimer's Month, and this past Wednesday marked World Alzheimer's Day -  making this the perfect time to share both this update and my professional and personal desire to help make Alzheimer's a rare disease.

#quotes #worldalzheimersmonth2022 #worldalzheimersday #lifestylechange #bredesenprotocol #brainhealth #cognition #thewellcheck #graceandspaceforahealthieryou #integrativehealthcoach #nutrition #exercise #sleep #stress #detox #braintraining #supplements
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