Here in Virginia we went from Summer to about a week of fall to straight up Winter and everyone around me seems to be going down for the count! For the most part I would say we’re staying relatively healthy but we’ve got a long winter ahead of us and I’m not taking any chances! So we’re doing everything we can to stay healthy this winter! Truth be told you can do everything in this world to prevent illness and it still can happen so you’ll also find some things on this list that will help if all of your preventative measures don’t work!
Eat Healthy
This may seem like a no brainer but this time of the year can be really hard to have healthy, well balanced meals. There are so times where indulgent comfort foods are the main course! And I’m not even talking about dessert (we’ll get to that later). While we should be eating well all year long it takes extra effort during the winter months. Make sure you’re loading your plates up with a variety of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, protein and limited dairy and carbohydrates.
Limit Sugar
While I could have included this in eating healthy (and I sort of did when I mentioned eating limited carbohydrates) I felt like it deserved a spot all on it’s own. Halloween kicked off a season of eating more sugar than usual. Candy and the holiday baking that comes along with Thanksgiving and Christmas sets our bodies up for disaster! Many illnesses feed on sugar. Having an excess amount in our body gives invading illnesses and even parasites a chance to flourish!
Thieves Vitality
One of the things we put into our body every single day to help support our immune system is Thieves Vitality. We use it a variety of different ways like a drop or two in our NingXia or Thieves in a roller bottle down our spine. My favorite way to get Thieves Vitality in our bodies is through my Winter Wellness Tea. It’s super easy to make, just boil some water like you’re making traditional tea then add:
- 1-2 Drops Thieves Vitality
- 1-2 Drops Copiaba Vitality
- 1-2 Drops Lemon Vitality
- Local Honey to Taste
We drink this tea daily, but we’ll bump it up to 3 times a day when our bodies need an extra boost!
Daily Probiotic
Did you know that 80% of our immune system lives in our gut? That means that gut health is an integral part of our overall health and wellness. So in addition to eating healthy and limiting our sugar intake we should also be taking a daily probiotic! It’s best to take your probiotic at night after you’ve eaten anything so that you can give the probiotics the best chance at working to help your gut! Personally our family uses Life 9 for the adults and MightyPro for the kids! You can get them both here.
Proper Rest
Sleep is another huge part of supporting our immune system that so many people seem to discount. In order for our body to function optimally we need the proper amount of rest. That varies from person to person but a solid 8 hours of sleep is a good place to start. If you’re a parent you may have just laughed when I said solid! How do I know? Because I laughed at myself. I haven’t gotten a solid 8 hours of sleep in over 9 years! But the point is to at least try! Give your body and your immune system a fighting chance!
With so many things going on it isn’t always easy to get a good night’s rest because my brain is running a mile a minute. For myself I love using quality essential oils like Frankincense, Lavender, Peace & Calming and Release to help slow my brain down and prep my boy for a good night’s rest. For the kids we use Lavender, SleepyIze, Cedarwood and even Joy depending on the child.
Limit Stress
Here’s another one that might make you let out a chuckle! How do you limit stress during a busy holiday season? One of the best ways is by staying organized. Start your holiday shopping early. Stay on top of things as much as possible. Delegate whenever possible. We also use oils for emotional support in this household. Frankincense, Valor, Stress Away and Peppermint are all good choices for our family!
Activated Charcoal
We love to keep activated charcoal on hand for anything stomach related. We bought ours in a loose powder since we also like using it to whiten our teeth! But you can also buy it in capsule form!
Activated Charcoal has been used in cases of poisoning and overdoses because it’s said to absorb the poisons. It works in similar ways with the bacteria that causes stomach viruses. If we hear of a stomach bug going around the adults in our house hold take two capsules daily for preventative measures. If we actually get the stomach bug we take 2 capsules 2-3 times a day until we are no longer experiencing any symptoms. For children, start with a 1/4 of capsule (about 200mg) up to 2x a day. You can mix it into applesauce or something similar or even have them drink it in water.
DiGize Vitality and Peppermint Vitality
DiGize Vitality and Peppermint Vitality are another supplement to help gut health. In case you didn’t get the memo, gut health is so important when it comes to our overall wellness! DiGize Vitality when taken daily helps to support the digestive system. We most often take it in NingXia but it can also be added to a capsule and taken that way. Peppermint Vitality in hot water aka tea style daily also helps to support the immune system and tastes amazing!
Garlic Oil
We keep Garlic Oil on hand at all times due to its ability to fight infections, especially ear infections. A couple of drops in both ears until all symptoms have disappeared has worked wonders in our family. This is the brand that we get.
Elderberry Syrup
After years of hearing about the ability for Elderberries to help fight colds and even the flu I finally started to make my own last year! To make it even easier to make I used my InstantPot. You can get that recipe here. I also kicked it up a notch by adding Thieves Vitality, Orange Vitality and Lemon Vitality.
I added Thieves Vitality because it helps to support the immune system. Lemon and Orange Vitality I added for flavor but they’re also super high in d-limonene. D-limonene has multiple benefits including boosting immunity and decreasing insomnia and anxiety. Check out more here.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for things that you can do to help keep your family well and use things you can use if your family isn’t as well as you would like them to be! There are so many more things I wanted to add–maybe a part two is in order?!
You may notice that I mentioned quite a few essential oils! That’s because it’s one of the major tools in our toolbox when it comes to our health and wellness. There is only one company that I trust when it comes to quality essential oils that can be used aromatically, topically and internally when desired or needed! You can get all of the oils I mentioned above plus Life 9 and MightyPro right here. I highly suggest getting started with one of the Premium Starter Kits so you’ll get 11 oils and a diffuser to set you on the right path! Once you grab your kit I’ll add you to some of our amazing groups so you can continue to learn more about essential oils and how ridding our environment of toxins can lead to healthier minds and bodies! I’ll also send you one of the most comprehensive and helpful resource books available so you can get the most out of every single oil you have!
Have questions? Shoot me an email!
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