Some guidance for CODIV-19
With the CODIV-19 virus causing huge disruptions globally it's unusual times at the moment. I can understand why some people are unsettled but it’s important to remain calm, not panic and stay up to date with the recommended actions.
No matter how big the challenge, we’re all in this together and it’s important to remember your own health should still be your main priority.
Now I'm not a disease expert, but lots of my clients have been calling me for my thoughts and advice, so I felt it appropriate to write a blog to share how I personally am navigating through these tricky times using my knowledge and own research.
Most of the information you may have seen/read/heard may differ from place to place, and the only sure thing about this disease is that we don't have all the answers yet.
The current situation may get worse before it gets better, and could last for several months so with this in mind, here are some of the strategies we’re using for myself and my family:
1. Your Mental Health. Managing your stress levels is important. Stress, fear, panic are a burden on your immune system. Aim to stay positive, keep the play time going with the kids if you have them, watch fun movies, play games, get into nature if you can and avoid constantly reading all the stories about the CODIV-19 virus.
2. Choose Good Nutrition. As you know using food as medicine will help you bounce back quicker when you're well. Working to also strengthen your immune defences (more on that below) primarily through whole foods that support and work for your body’s health is also good. We keep to veggies, fruits, water (sometimes with fresh lemon), and choose natural proteins and less of the processed foods, sugar or alcohol.
3. Optimise your Sleep. This is where the body's repair work goes on and where healthy habits really pay off. So try to avoid too many late nights, and avoid reading the news before heading off to bed. This is a good time to instil some night time rituals to prepare your body for rest. Lower lights, take a shower, read a book, turn off your phone and relax.
4. Keep up with exercise. Obviously don't overtrain but keep your body moving regularly through out the day. If you're worried about going to the gym there are many outdoor and home options you can use. Some great free online training videos are available on youtube and google for at home work outs.
5. Good hygiene practices. Hand washing is the obvious one, but 15-20sec time wasn’t! I certainly wasn't spending that long washing my hands with soap and water. That's the recommended length of time and for kids that's about the same time to sing happy birthday twice. Keeping surfaces clean and avoiding touching of your face - that’s a tricky one - but just aim for awareness and minimising this as much as you can.
6. Keeping physical distance. If you can avoid crowded places it is a good idea. Another is keeping around 6 feet away from others has been recommended. Ensure isolation is only physical. Keep in touch with friends, your community and loved ones to support each other through online and phone. Check in on other as much as possible.
7. Do help others. Whilst looking after yourself ensure you are also considering others. For those unable to bulk buy, share what you can, for those more at risk such as the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer etc they need to isolate from exposure but also they still need human contact - so stay in touch as much as you can as total isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness or depression.
8. Don't take unnecessary risks. It's good not to panic but also don't carry the "I don't care" attitude. Even though you may not get affected as symptoms can be minimal, for some individuals it's the others around them that could be affected. Whether their relative, friend or neighbour. So be mindful about what you do and one of the best pieces of advise I’ve heard was to have the mindset of having the virus already and act in ways that mean you don't spread it to others.
A note on supplements to boost your immune system.
I always recommend to get as much of your health benefits through your healthy habits such as nutrition and outdoor time but as a family we have chosen to take Propolis and Liposomol Vitamin C because there is evidence that these can be beneficial combating viruses.
We also opt to take natural and herbal remedies if one of us feels unwell. We find those from the Harker range to be good. But apart from that we look at having great quality foods wherever possible.
For example - I don't take vitamin A as we eat liver quite regularly, which is high in vitamin A and other nutrients and I don’t take Vitamin D as I always ensure I get plenty of outdoor time during the day.
Bone broths are another example of a highly nutrient dense food with healing qualities.
That's it.
In summary, hopefully your current health routine will have made you resilient in these current times. It's not too late to get back on track if you haven't been the healthiest lately. Try to not panic as this doesn't achieve anything positive. Crisis can bring out the worst but also the best in people so do what you can to help yourself and others get through these uncertain times.
I’ve also added a link here to a webinar by Chris Kresser which goes into great detail about many of the questions people have regarding the virus.
Thanks for reading.
Rich
