If you do one thing in isolation …
Build your immunity …
Once I got over my initial meltdown at having to isolate (and believe me, I did meltdown – just ask Julia Elkington who rang me just after Boris’s announcement!), I realised there was loads to do when you are stuck at home on your own, with just the dogs for company – hoover under the bed for one thing; delete my email history (10,000+ of them!); the last three month’s filing (or 6 months?); facetime friends I haven’t called in ages; odd bits of mending; train the puppy; oh, and move all my face-to-face business on-line (this took a few days).
However, as I was going through these mindless tasks – I’ve never been one for cleaning or mending, I’d much rather completely renovate or make a new one – it struck me that really, here was an opportunity for us all to improve our health and wellbeing, and in the process make ourselves less susceptible to not only the SARS-covid 2 virus, but to any other illness (bacterial, viral, cardiovascular…) which might come our way in the future. We know that Covid-19 is worse for those in poor health and the elderly, so in my mind, there really isn’t any reason to not make our general health a priority now, focussing particularly on the immune system. Plus, you may leave the NHS free to deal with those who need it most!
Here’s what you can do, today, right now, at home, in isolation (WARNING - LOTS OF SCIENCE!):
Focus on getting enough sleep
a. Most of us have more time on our hands. If we are working from home, we aren’t commuting. If we aren’t working then obviously we have more time on our hands. Or we may be working part-time in split teams. There is no reason to not get 7.5 hours sleep a night, which is the optimum for good physical and mental health and for the health of the immune system.
b. Decide when you are going to get up in the morning and plan your bed-time routine around this. Turn the lights down an hour before you need to be in bed. Get off your phone/computer/TV at least an hour before. Cut out caffeine after mid-day. Turn the thermostat down to 18 degrees or below. These are all things which will help you get a good night’s sleep.
c. Improved sleep provides improved immunity due to the production and release of cytokines which are used by the body’s immune response, and improved building and repair during deep sleep.
d. AND if you can’t get 7.5 hours sleep at night, research has shown that two 20-30-minute naps can counter the effect which sleep deprivation has on the immune system. So if you are at home, take a nap!!
2. Reduce your stress levels
a. Stress or the flight or flight mechanism slows all other bodily functions, from digestion to reproduction and immunity. When you need to run from the sabre-toothed tiger, why waste energy on the reproductive system or digestion or immune function. Just RUN!!
b. Admittedly this is a very stressful situation. And reducing stress itself is not possible, but what you can do is learn to temper your reaction to the stressful situation
i. Breathe – Slow, deep breathing using the diaphragm sends signals to the adrenal glands that you are safe, reducing the release of stress hormones which put our immune function on the back burner and hence improving immunity.
ii. Sleep – poor sleep is stressful on the body and results in stress hormones being released and other changes within the body which are also caused by stress, including reduced production of T-cells, central to immunity. Sleep longer and deeper and these stress factors are reduced.
iii. Mindfulness and Yoga – daily practice can switch on your parasympathetic nervous system which is associated with rest and repair, countering the damaging effects of stress.
iv. Get outside – getting the sky over your head and getting out in nature induces mindful practice as the body focuses subconsciously on the threats and dangers in the environment. We become more aware of our surroundings and thoughts go away from our problems.
v. Exercise – releases endorphins and serotonin which make us feel good.
3. Stay alkaline
a. Reduce acidic foods such as sugar wheat, caffeine, dairy
i. All our bodily functions and metabolic processes work optimally when we are in a slightly alkaline state. Reduce acidic foods to optimise metabolism and overall health, reducing our susceptibility to infection and illness.
b. Drink warm lemon water in the morning to reduce the body’s acidity or take supplements to keep the body alkaline.
4. Eat a rainbow and good quality protein at each meal
a. Eating a variety of different coloured plant-based foods will provide your body with a whole array of different micronutrients, vitamins and minerals necessary for optimum health, not only of the body as a whole, but of the immune system.
b. Vitamins A, C, D, B6 and B12 and zinc are vital for a healthy immune system.
c. Vitamin A and zinc are found in protein rich foods – seafood, legumes and pulses, grass fed meats, nuts and seeds.
d. Vitamin C is in citrus fruits, dark berries and green leafy vegetables.
e. Eating a diet based on colourful vegetables and fruits and good quality protein rather than counting calories will effectively reduce sugar and increase nutrients, both of which are vital for health and as a by-product could mean you loose weight rather than gaining it during isolation. BOOM!
5. Wash your hands in soap and water
a. We all know that we should wash our hands regularly using soap and water OR use a sanitiser to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. However, I would recommend where possible to use the former and, if at all possible, avoid the latter.
b. Using soap, especially with warm water to make a good lather, breaks down the lipid coating on the virus, leaving the protein exposed which then degrades rendering the virus inactive.
c. Using a hand sanitiser does the same – the alcohol breaks down the lipid coating.
d. The antibacterial agents in the hand sanitiser are irrelevant. They are not effective against viruses. However, what they will do is damage the good bacteria which make up the part of our microbiome which coats our skin and forms part of our very complex immune system.
e. We must use sanitiser if soap and water isn’t available. However, where possible, wash your hands with soap and water to avoid needing the sanitiser and maintain the natural immunity to other infections on your hands.
6. Get outside
a. Get down and dirty with the ground – do some gardening, walk barefoot, touch the plants and soil. Build up your natural immunity by building up your natural microbiome on your skin and in your nose and ears and mouth. 80% of our immune system is formed by our microbiome (if it is healthy).
b. Expose your skin to the sun to increase your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is vital for a healthy immune system. It turns on certain processes which strengthen the immune response, and also modulates that response. It is thought that it may reduce the cytokine storm which a virus such as SARS Covid-2 causes, which leads to excessive inflammation in the lungs and difficulty breathing.
c. Cold water swimming. Now, don’t go out and leap into the nearest lake! If you are not acclimatized to cold water swimming, having introduced it slowly, this could cause kidney infections or worse. However, cold water swimming has been shown to increase white blood cells which form part of your immune response as well as stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system which puts the body into rest and repair mode, essential for good immunity.
7. Eat pre and probiotics
a. Your microbiome needs you! If you don’t look after it, it’s health will suffer and with it your health and immunity. Your microbiome makes up 80% of your immune system and much of it is in your gut. Feed it to nurture it and your health and immunity will improve. Without a doubt!
i. Pre-biotics are foods which nourish your microbiome, which feed the good bacteria in your gut. They include fibre, found particularly in foods like garlic, onions leeks and artichokes, but also in whole grains, ground seeds and green vegetables.
ii. Pro-biotics are foodstuffs which contain the good microbes which are beneficial to our health – fermented foods like Kimchi and Sauerkraut, pickles and live yogurt. Or you can get a good quality probiotic supplement.
iii. Eat some of each of these types of food every day to maintain a good balance and rich population of healthy gut microbes.
8. Cut down on Caffeine, sugar and alcohol
a. Yes, life is pretty difficult at the moment. BUT reaching for sugary snacks or a gin and tonic or having coffee and cake is not going to make anything better!
b. The combination of caffeine, alcohol and sugar will cause sleeplessness, anxiety, low mood and weight gain. None of this is going to make you feel great in the long term, although it may taste pretty good at the time.
c. All of these foods will be detrimental to the health of the gut microbiome and hence reduce your immunity. Caffeine switches on the stress response, so causing the digestion to slow and toxins to build up killing the good bacteria. Sugar feeds fungus in the gut which will drown out the beneficial microbes. Alcohol is a toxin, directly poisoning many of the beneficial bacteria found in the gut.
9. Exercise
a. We can go outside to exercise each day or we can exercise at home. There are numerous free and subscription exercise and health programmes on-line at the moment, so there is no excuse for becoming a couch potato!
b. Exercising intensively for 10 minutes has been shown to increase the diversity of the gut microbiome and will hence improve immunity. Intervals or HIIT training can be particularly effective – the 10 minutes does not have to be continuous, and breaking up the intense moments with rest can make it more palatable!
c. Obviously do not exercise intensively if you are under the weather or have a temperature. Rest or gentle walking or yoga/stretching exercises can be done if you are sub-par. Save the interval training for days when you feel up to it. Over-exercising can be detrimental to your immunity, so take days off in between hard workouts and make sure you get enough rest.
10. Stay Hydrated
a. Keeping hydrated is important for optimum health of the whole body and of the cells. It aids regulation of blood pressure, maintains cell shape and concentration of nutrients and chemicals within the body at the correct levels, thus keeping metabolism high and performance at optimum levels. As a result, you will have better energy levels and more mental clarity.
b. Correct hydration also allows toxins to be flushed out of the system, which is especially important when an infection is present, to keep symptoms to a minimum. It also keeps the cells of the mucous membranes healthy and the mucous itself at the right consistency to lubricate and to protect the membranes.
Doing all these things will, WITHOUT DOUBT, improve your overall health, improve your immunity and help the NHS help the people who need it most now and in the future. Not only that, you will feel better, have more energy, feel more positive, have better hormone balance and generally feel like a better version of yourself. Plus, you are stuck at home with nothing better to do. GO FOR IT!
As always, my DMs are open if you want to learn more about eating for optimum health and how supplementation can help your immunity, my on-line health and fitness challenge or personal training, or about Pure 21 – it would be great to hear from you.