Mental Health Archives - Wellnesslogy Malaysia

Beyond Water: The New Rules of Replenishment

We talk frequently about the importance of a healthy, nutritious diet, but keeping our bodies properly hydrated is just as important. And when it comes to hydration, it can get a little complicated.

Most of us don’t drink as much water as we should every day, but we do usually drink other beverages, like coffee and tea. Unfortunately, it has been widely proven that most non-water liquid options do not positively add to your daily allowance of water, and many even leech needed water out of our bodies.

On the other hand, while clean and filtered water is certainly a crucial component to keeping our bodies performing optimally, we need other components from our liquids that water alone cannot provide. Our complex body systems need so much more!

This article dives into the different mineral components that contribute to sufficient hydration. To replenish all that you lose in a day’s work, you may need to focus on the entire spectrum of the sweat collective and hydration, including electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, and sodium.

Electrolytes

In order to understand hydration, it is important to first understand what electrolytes are and what they do for the body. If you have ever suffered a Charlie Horse or muscle cramp, you know it’s not a fun feeling — and you usually can blame your body’s electrolytes for that!

Electrolytes are responsible for a whole lot, including the balance of the body’s pH levels. Anyone who has tried to maintain a fish tank knows how hard this is to do. Even a little bit of the wrong chemical mineral or the wrong temperature could harm the creatures that live in the tank. The most important electrolytes that need to be balanced include: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium and phosphate.

The right electrolyte levels also help your body move waste out of cells and out of the body. Electrolytes also help to make sure that your nerves, muscles, brain, and heart are all working optimally and communicating with each other efficiently. We’ll take a closer look at the main electrolytes later, but let’s first look at sweat, which is one of the main ways we lose electrolytes.

Sweat

One of the best ways for our bodies to cool themselves down and get rid of excess liquid toxins (besides elimination from kidneys) is to sweat. Sweating is healthy, but it is also one of the easiest ways for the body to lose key electrolytes. So learning how to replenish and hydrate after sweating is very important to help fight fatigue, prevent muscle cramping, prevent kidney stones and bladder issues, prevent headaches and dizziness, lower blood pressure and dry mouth, just to name a few. Certainly, sweating can feel very rewarding while exercising, and it’s even commonly thought that in order to get a good workout, you need to sweat a lot. But while some bodies naturally sweat a lot (men more than women) others do not, and there are a few key reasons for this. These factors include the environment in which people live, how acclimated to heat they are, and how hydrated they were prior to the workout or activity.

A key factor in achieving optimal hydration replenishment health is making sure that when you are working out or moving your body strenuously, you efficiently replace the fluids and minerals lost. If you are working hard in the gym or to burn excess calories and build muscle, proper and consistent hydration can be the key difference between getting stronger and feeling fatigued. Additionally, if you do not replace your fluids, your heart rate may continue to increase uncomfortably and you are at a higher risk of your body crashing, cramping, sustaining an injury, or slowing down during the workout. These are signals from your body, telling you that something is wrong.

Hydration

While our bodies can survive relatively long periods of time without food, they cannot survive one week without fluids. Larry Kenney, Ph.D., discussing the importance of hydration, stated, “Hydration is important because the body is comprised mostly of water, and the proper balance between water and electrolytes in our bodies determines how most of our systems function, including nerves and muscles.”

If we think of the body as a recipe for a special dinner, the final product is only as good as the ingredients that we put into it, as well as the time and process we use. If we are missing ingredients, we cannot expect the best results. So if we’re working all day and not drinking water, we can’t expect our bodies to function at the same level as they would with optimal hydration.

People with the highest risk of dehydration include: seniors, people who live in hot and humid areas, children, and pregnant women. In addition to symptoms we’ve already listed, dehydration can have other symptoms such as dry skin, sunken eyes, increased heart rate, not sweating, delirium, and unconsciousness in more serious cases.

If you or someone you love is in one of the high-risk categories, make sure to learn and share tips for proper hydration, to ensure you keep your body functioning at its best.

Having a water bottle around you all day, and access to clean water, is key to hydration success. Eating fresh salads and vegetables and fruits with high water content throughout the day is another great way to get water into the body. If plain water is not easy to drink, try infusing your water with a few lemon wedges, berries, or cucumber slices to jazz things up a bit. There are also hydration apps that can send you gentle reminders to drink up throughout the day.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an important electrolyte that helps the body’s muscles contract during exercise. Magnesium is responsible for more than 300 nerve impulses and enzymatic reactions in the body, and helps transport calcium and oxygen throughout the body (think strong bones). It also helps us relax and sleep better, fights depression, reduces insulin resistance, and much more.

Because magnesium is lost through sweat and urination, improper replenishing of this electrolyte can lead to cramps, low blood pressure, dizziness, and decreased muscular performance. High levels of magnesium can be found in dark leafy greens, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and unrefined whole grains. Since it’s difficult to get enough magnesium from diet alone, it’s also a good idea to supplement with a high-quality, seawater-derived magnesium.

Potassium

Potassium packs a double punch when it comes to hydration. It is not only a mineral but also an electrolyte. When you have low potassium, you may notice that your muscles feel weak, crampy, or begin twitching. In extreme cases, your muscles could even become paralyzed, or you may develop an abnormal heart rhythm. Maintaining the right amount of potassium in your body decreases the risk of stroke, lowers your blood pressure, protects you against loss of muscle mass, preserves bone mineral density, and reduces the formation of kidney stones. You can find Potassium in various foods and drinks such as bananas, beets, or beans. Three types of beans specifically — white, soy, and lima beans — are major sources of potassium providers.

Sodium

Sodium gets a bad rap, and though people with high blood pressure often need to follow a low sodium diet, not all sodium is bad. Excess sodium is certainly not healthy, but getting the right amount of sodium is a critical component in keeping the body fluids stable and the body hydrated. Similar to potassium, sodium is an electrolyte that our body needs in order to function optimally. Sodium is especially crucial in combination with potassium for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. Too much of either one or both can lead to high blood pressure (and vice versa).

Bottom Line

Whether you are looking to build muscles, lose weight, have more energy, improve your mood, or get rid of headaches, all of them may be linked to proper hydration. But hydration is not limited to just your everyday water consumption. The body is a machine capable of great things. How it functions is only as good as its components and maintenance. If we don’t pay attention to our fluid intake, our perspiration, activity levels, and hydration and replenishing habits, we can miss out on what the body needs to perform optimally and avoid preventable discomforts.

Remember to look for foods and drinks that aid your body in its need for electrolytes, potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride each day. And take a well formulated multi-mineral supplement derived from real food sources each day to ensure you are getting what you need.

The Difference Between Stress, Worry, and Anxiety

“Stress, anxiety, and worry, all have their place in our world, but when they become chronic, they can cause serious health issues.”

Stress, anxiety and worry… oh my! As the numbers show, there’s a really good chance that you are experiencing some form of stress, worry, or anxiety on a regular basis — even if you aren’t feeling them right at this moment.

In today’s episode, Dr. Nancy Lin, PhD, will help us get a deeper understanding of the differences between worry, anxiety, and stress. She will also share a number of research-based tips that have been proven to effectively manage all three, including dietary and other nutritional solutions that can have a profound effect on how your body and mind deal with the anxiety, worry, and stress we face every day.

Video Highlights

01:37: A Stressed, Anxious, Worried Society
06:19: Stress, Anxiety, and Worry Are Not the Same Thing
09:00: Worry
19:01: Stress
30:10: Anxiety
39:23: Wrap-Up

A Stressed, Anxious, and Worried Society

We’ve become a stressed-out, anxious society, now more than ever, and no one is exempt: we’re all worried or stressed out about something – we might be stressed about work, or worried about our kids, or anxious about our health, especially with the rapidly developing coronavirus situation. The list goes on and on.

If you’re struggling with any of these issues, you are not alone. In fact, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, over 40 million Americans are currently suffering from some form of anxiety disorder, and over 75% of all Americans reported feeling seriously stressed in the last 30 days. Stress, anxiety, and worry, all have their place in our world, but when they become chronic, they can cause serious health issues — like heart disease, digestive issues, depression, obesity, and diabetes — unless they are managed appropriately.

Stress, Anxiety, and Worry Are Not the Same Thing

Think about the last time you felt nervous or tense — would you say you were feeling worried, stressed, or anxious? If you struggled with answering that question, don’t beat yourself up; it’s often a really tough question to answer. We tend to lump all three — anxiety, stress, and worry — together, and use them interchangeably in conversation. But it’s important to point out that they are all distinctly different, and the steps we’re going to recommend for addressing each are also distinctly different.

Worry

A Chinese philosopher in the 8th century wrote this about worry…

“If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? And if you
can’t solve it, then what is the use of worrying?”

So what is worry? We all know what it feels like, but have you ever really thought about what it actually is? Worry is what happens in your brain (not in your body) when you dwell on negative thoughts, the things that could go wrong, or the unknown. If you’ve read any psychology, you may have come across an idea that “worry and guilt” are useless emotions. Worry is about the future, and guilt is about the past. But is worry entirely useless?

When we worry, we are thinking about pending or existing problems or uncomfortable situations. This stimulates your brain, and actually increases your problem-solving abilities, helping you develop a course of action to solve a problem, or motivating you to take action to keep you safe — all of which are good things, right?

Yes! But worry becomes problematic when your thinking becomes repetitive and obsessive — like a broken record that plays over and over in your head. Obsessive worrying causes you to feel nervous and restless, and makes it hard to think about anything else other than what you are worried about. And, although worry is not an actual physical reaction, it can lead to unwanted physical symptoms, including:

An increased heart rate
Breathing rapidly of even hyperventilating
Stomach and digestive issues
Sweating
Feeling weak or tired

Addressing Chronic Worry

So, what can you do to help with chronic worry? So many of us have that constant voice of worry in our heads, talking to us so often that we sometimes can’t even hear what it’s saying. If you find yourself dealing with chronic worry, try some of the following:

Listen! Be aware of your worry. Listen to your inner voice and make an effort to what’s specifically contributing to you feeling this way. Identify what you are worried about.
Give yourself a time limit (and a worry limit). Give yourself 15 or 20 minutes to process and worry about a problem and then make a conscious effort to move on to something else. This may sound strange, but give it a try — over time, and the more you make the effort to redirect your focus, the easier it gets.
Do something about it. When you notice you are worrying, what’s your next step? What is your plan? Remember the quote we just shared: “If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? And if you can’t solve it, then what is the use of worrying?” That applies here. If you can solve the problem, work on finding that solution.
Write down what’s on your mind. Jot down what’s causing you to worry, just to get it out of your head and onto paper. Research has proven again and again that writing about what has you worried, even for as short a time as 5 minutes, helps to calm your mind and ease the obsessive thoughts that come with worry. Try keeping a journal by your bed so that if worry wakes you up or keeps you from sleeping, you have an outlet for it. Taking a few minutes to jot down your thoughts, can make it easier to get back to sleep.

On a final note, research has confirmed that 85% of what we worry about never happens — so save your energy!

Stress

Stress is your body’s response — an actual physical response — to a stressor. It’s a reaction to something that happens in your environment — maybe it’s a response to an argument with your spouse, or what you feel when your waiting for the results of a biopsy, or maybe how you respond to what’s going on at work. Whatever the cause, it’s how your body responds to an external circumstance. And the stress response is an ancient one, which can be traced back to our earliest ancestors. Back then, the body’s natural response — or stress response — to something in the environment often meant the difference between life and death… between eating and being eaten.

Our body’s behavioral response to stressors hasn’t changed much at all since then. Upon sensing (or perceiving) an external threat — whether physical, mental, or emotional — our bodies still respond by releasing a huge dose of adrenaline and cortisol into our bodies. You’ve most likely heard the term “fight or flight”. That’s what we are talking about here — your heart beat increases, your hands might get sweaty or clammy, your breathing becomes more shallow… in short, your body is preparing to respond, either by fight or by flight. It’s preparing to defend itself, by fighting, or to save itself by running away.

Now occasional day-to-day stress typically isn’t a problem for our health, but when this response is the norm — meaning it’s chronic — then it tends to lead to serious health issues, including increasing the risk of heart disease, a weakened immune system, muscle and joint pain, and often chronic body inflammation.

Steps to Reduce Stress

There are a number of things we recommend for reducing stress, and they are not the same as what we recommend for worry or anxiety (in general). When you’re stressed, it’s a good idea to focus on the things you can control, while learning to accept the things that you can’t. To the best of your ability, learn to live and let live, and if you can’t change it, try to learn to be okay with it. We know that’s easier said than done, but doing so is really, really important for your mental and physical health.

Also, keep in mind that everyone responds to stress differently; what causes you stress, might not even be a blip on your neighbors radar (and vice versa). Keeping that in mind, it’s super important for you not to compare your stress with anyone else’s stress — doing so is only setting you up for one more stress!

Additionally, always keep in mind that stress is a physical response — your body is responding to something by releasing tons of adrenaline and cortisol. That being said, one of the very best ways to deal with stress is to exercise on a regular basis. You need to exercise for at least, 20 minutes daily.

Study after study demonstrates that at least 20 minutes of exercise can help consistently and effectively reduce stress. For an ideal stress-relieving workout, we recommend that you exercise between 25 and 30 minutes each and every day.

Equally important as the time you spend exercising, is the type of exercise you choose.

While any exercise is effective and will help reduce stress, research has demonstrated that certain types of exercise are more effective at relieving stress than others; yoga is one of those exercises.

Yoga for Stress Relief

Yoga has come a long way over the last few years. It is now recommended for everyone, from kids to seniors; it’s great for your mental and physical health!

The majority of those practicing yoga consistently report experiencing significant reductions in stress after starting yoga. You don’t need to become a hard core yogi to experience its benefits; performing short, simple yoga stretches is often enough to help you start to feel your stress subside and your mood lift. So remember, at least 20 minutes a day of some exercise — it’s your choice.

Anxiety

So, if worry is a mental response and stress is a physical reaction, then what is anxiety? Well, anxiety is actually the result of dealing with a combination of worry and stress — with one major difference. Anxiety is very similar to stress in that your body creates a physical response, but, unlike stress, there is no actual threat. Anxiety often occurs when you assume something bad is happening (similar to worry) but you have a physical response like you experience during real stress — even when there is nothing actually to worry, stress, or be anxious about. In other words, anxiety is an excessive focus on something that might happen in the future (or, excessive worry and stress with no identifiable cause).

Let’s use the coronavirus as an example: sure, it’s normal to be concerned and worry about the coronavirus. But if you aren’t aware of your worry, this worry can quickly lead to anxiety — you watch the news, and as you hear more and more about the spread of the virus you continue to worry more about what’s going to happen or if you are going to contract it. Before you know it, every time you hear the word “coronavirus”, or someone coughs, sneezes, or clears their throat near you, your heart starts to race, your adrenaline starts pumping, your palms get sweaty — your body is physically responding to what your mind is perceiving as a threat, even when the threat isn’t real or isn’t present at that moment — that’s anxiety.

Natural Anxiety Treatments

Fortunately there are also several natural, effective treatment options that have been shown to calming the symptoms of anxiety, including:

exercise (again at the very top)
Specific deep-breathing exercises
Limiting your intake of sugar, caffeine, and alcohol,
Address nutrient deficiencies. This is perhaps the most overlooked, but still a very important way to reduce anxiety. There is a clear link between deficiencies in specific vitamins and minerals and not only anxiety, but depression as well.

Actually, that last point is also true for worry and stress — one of the most common, but also the most overlooked, contributors to anxiety, stress, and worry are deficiencies in B-vitamins, magnesium, and zinc. If you are deficient in these vitamins and minerals, and most of us are deficient in at least one, your biochemistry is affected. This can manifest as increased worry, stress, and anxiety.

In addition, where you get your vitamins and minerals from also matters, because if they are not food-based and absorbed well by your body then you’re not going to get the benefit you want. You want to get the right amount of your vitamins and minerals from natural whole food, not synthetic “food grade” or “food equivalent” sources, which have such poor absorption rates that less than 5% of that nutrient gets into the body.

That’s why we recommend throwing that traditional, rock-hard multivitamin tablet in the garbage today because that’s where they belong. Instead, use a food-based multi that provides just the right amounts of the specific minerals and vitamins — like magnesium, B-vitamins, and zinc — required to support your mental health, including helping to reduce worry and lessen the symptoms associated with stress and anxiety.

Dr. Nancy uses the Smarter Multi, which is designed to provide the exact right amount of each vitamin and mineral daily required to improve brain function, helping to regulate your all-important neurotransmitters — those are the little chemical messengers that send messages and signals from the brain throughout the body and contribute to the production of specific hormones that contribute to stress and anxiety.

Smarter multi is also the only multi that delivers all its nutrients in a form you would expect to find in nature. That’s because wherever possible, all its vitamins and minerals are derived from real food — organic, natural fruits and vegetables like fresh okra, spearmint, sesame seeds, dill, plums, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, broccoli, peaches, and pears. It really is different from every multi, and it’s super affordable too — less than a dollar a day and free shipping within the U.S. if you have a subscription.

Wrap-Up

We hope this has given you something to think about, and the tools to take action if you’re struggling with stress, worry, or anxiety. Remember: worry happens in your mind, stress happens in your body, and anxiety happens in both.

All three are distinctly different, but left unchecked, all three can contribute to serious health issues over time. You can reduce all three of these conditions by taking the steps we shared today. And do give Smarter Multi a try; correcting nutritional deficiencies is an easy and important first step

Minimizing the Mental and Physical Impact of COVID-19

“It’s the perfect time to start focusing on ourselves and especially our health more.”

The COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) crisis has a lot of people worried and wondering what to do. Now that more testing is becoming available, and we’re learning just how contagious it is, the numbers are undoubtedly going to spike soon. We’re also learning more and more scary things about this virus: for example it was recently discovered that the coronavirus was found on the surfaces of cruise-ship cabins 17 days after all the passengers left. This is no ordinary cold or flu virus.

It’s important that we all do our part — and that includes making sure we stay home, and doing everything we can to flatten the curve and stop the rapid spread! In today’s video, Dr. Nancy Lin, PhD, is going to explain why it’s important to stay home, as well as share ways that you and your family to take care of your physical, mental, and social health, while you go through isolation and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video Highlights

06:55: What the Medical Community is Telling Us About COVID-19
11:23: Steps to Flattening the Curve
19:58: The Silver Lining: Time
25:20: The Facts from CDC and WHO
28:24: Staying Healthy & Boosting the Immune System
33:30: Immune Influencers
35:55: Vitamin D and Immunity
42:51: Wrap-Up

Today, we’re going to focus on how to change the way you look at this situation and find positives in even the darkest of times. In addition to reviewing the new guidelines on what we need to do help combat the spread of COVID-19, we’ll talk about what you need to do to minimize the impact of the virus, if you do get it, which means building up your immune health now!

We’ll also share the most effective, research-based ways to make sure your immune system is at its strongest and working to keep you safe and healthy.

What the Medical Community is Telling Us About COVID-19

We’re not going to go into the statistics surrounding the rapid spread of the disease, as these are available from a wide variety of resources and constantly updated. What we do want to focus on is the measure that has been shown to be the number one way to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this dangerous virus.

It starts with all of us — not the government (though they need to do their part too)! What we all need to understand, and take very seriously, is that COVID-19 is not just a virus that affects the elderly — not by a long shot. Young people can not only get COVID-19, but they also spread it at a faster rate, since higher levels of the virus have been reported in younger adults .

In fact, according to the current data, 18-49-year-olds represent more than 50% of the COVID-19 cases in the country, and we’ll probably find that number to be higher once testing is more widespread. So, they can get COVID-19, they can get sick — in some cases very, very sick — but most people in this age group will recover without lasting damage. However they can and do transmit the virus to others, including the older population.

And we now know it’s a very dangerous virus for older people — that’s why it’s so important for us all to be aware and do our part. It seems to be most dangerous for people with conditions like hypertension, which affects half of Americans over age 50, and almost 80% of people over 75. For these people COVID-19 is no joke; it’s a killer.

For those of us in the 18-49 demographic we really need to be aware that they can transmit this, even without a direct transmission (like a cough or a sneeze). You can touch a surface or sit at a table, and up to 24 hours later (or perhaps even longer as we’re now learning), someone else can touch the same surface, or sit at the same table, and contract the virus. So, it’s really important for all of us to take the appropriate steps to stop the spread and flatten the curve of this virus — that means taking seriously the basics the medical experts have told us.

Steps to Flattening the Curve

Practicing social distancing

Stay 6 feet from all non-family members (and any sick family members). Six feet is probably further away than you probably think, so measure it out to get an idea what that really looks like. Social distancing means maintaining at least 6 feet of distance from non-family members at all times.

Stay home until your city or state gives you the all clear

This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to lock yourself inside. You can go outside; go for a walk, garden, sit on your deck and read a great book, play in your yard with your kids, go for a jog with your dog away from people — just maintain the 6 feet of distance between you and non-family members and try not to touch anything. In fact, best to stay away from places like parks and other high-contact public areas altogether.

Wash your hands a LOT

Wash your hands regularly, for at least 20 seconds, with warm soapy water. When you can’t wash, sanitize with hand sanitizer made of at least 65% alcohol. Also take a few extra minutes every day to wipe down your counters, your phones, your door handles, your car keys, and even your glasses with an alcohol or bleach-based cleaning product. Any surface that gets touched regularly, should be cleaned regularly.

Understand that Life is Different Now

This is a major thing — what you can’t do is act like it’s life as normal. This new version of our lives could go on for several months — 2, 4, 5, or even 6 months or more. We need to accept that this is not going away in the near future; this is our new reality going forward but it won’t be forever.

As we’ve said all along, let’s not panic. Let’s be concerned, aware and informed. None of that has changed. We’re close to where the models predicted we would be at this point.

We do understand understand that it’s easy to feel like the world is spinning out of control, but it doesn’t have to feel that way; we all have the ability to take back some control, to think this through, and to be intentional with each decision we make as we navigate through this COVID-19 pandemic.

We know there are going to be challenges, and some personal hardships for sure, but we will get through this together.

However, this is going to be harder for some than for others. Many are experiencing cabin fever and boredom, or more serious issues like emotional pain, loss, depression, and isolation. These issues are very real, and for many they feel worse than contracting the virus and may have more lasting damage. This way of living is not what we know — no more hugs, and handshakes — we can’t do what we’ve always done. For a society that already had an isolation and loneliness problem, this is loneliness on steroids for many.

The Silver Lining: Time

But the good news is many of us now have time — more time than we’ve had in years. Everything we know about “normal life” has ground to a screeching halt, so now we have the precious gift of time. As we ride COVID-19 out, the most important question is how do you use this time positively and productively?

That’s what we want to talk about today — the possible silver lining — making the best of this situation and how you can use it to ensure you stay as healthy, as happy, and as engaged in possible!

So, first things first: life is going to be a lot quieter. We won’t be going to family gatherings, parties, vacations, restaurants, or the other things we are used to doing, anytime soon. Sure it’s sad that we won’t be able to do these things for a while, but there is also going to be less noise and distraction. We’ve stepped away from the hustle and bustle of life as we knew it, and that can be a really good thing. It gives us the opportunity to work on ourselves, and all the other things you wish you had time for.

If you’ve ever said, “I wish I had more time to (draw, write, spring clean, learn a hobby, or something else), you do have it now.

It’s the perfect time to start focusing on ourselves and especially our health more. So try to make peace with the situation and accept it. Your mission now is to take care of you and to find a way to be socially distant while at the same time being spiritually and emotionally connected with those around you.

As crazy as this situation is or feels, take a few deep breaths and realize that it has given us gifts… our job know is to identify what those gifts are, and how to use them. It could be more quality time with your kids, and an inside look at their education, time to work on projects you haven’t been able to get to, time to get your herb garden shape, or finally write that book, and time to evaluate your health.

The Facts from CDC and WHO

Most people are going to feel anxiety, because we don’t know exactly what’s coming next. But let’s pay attention to the facts — real facts from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) — not politicians or the news media who don’t always get the facts straight. And remember, many people will get the virus; in fact, there’s a real strong chance that 80% of us will contract COVID-19 over time. But don’t panic: the facts tell us that 98% of people who get the virus will be okay. We know that grocery stores will function and food is available, pharmacies will function and medicine is available, law enforcement and firemen are working, and we will have protection. But we all need to do our part, because if we can spread it out so that we don’t all get sick at once, then our hospitals have a better chance of dealing with this.

Life is about facing challenges head on, working together, and overcoming these challenges, right? So let’s make sure we are doing everything we can to make sure we are taking care of each other as we face this challenge.

Staying Healthy & Boosting the Immune System

We also want to make sure you are doing everything you can to take care of your health during this time. And while there isn’t a vaccine or a cure for the COVID-19 virus, there are plenty of steps you could, and should, be taking to strengthen your immune system and to keep yourself healthy!

Recently, the New York Times published an article about boosting the immune system. It was a very straight-forward science- based piece about what really has been proven to affect your immune system and what is just anecdotal without proof. It had a lot of really good advice and tips that we want to share with you.

If you watch Dr. Nancy’s shows regularly, you know she is always focused on supporting a strong, healthy immune system. Now, with COVID-19 here, people are literally searching the internet high and low for the best ways to maintain a healthy immune system. Unfortunately, as with anything online, these searches can produce a lot of misinformation on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to strengthening your immune system. So, let’s clear this up: here’s what science and research says about what you should be doing to keep your immune system strong and healthy, including the one surprising step that is proving to be an absolute immune-boosting essential.

Genetics

Your genes — traits passed down from your parents — play a role in a number of health issues, including whether you have a strong or weak immune system. However, the research tells us that when it comes to your immune system, your genetics are a factor but not a major one in regards to how efficiently (or inefficiently) your body responds to illness and infection.

In fact, research studies examining the immune systems of twins showed that the strength of the immune system is largely determined by factors other than our genetics — things that we control, not things we are born with. The most common factors have to do with our stress levels, our diets, the amount of quality sleep we get, and how we exercise — all of those factors play a significant role into the health of our immune systems.

What does this mean? It means good news for all of us. It means that we have significant influence over the health of our immune system; more than we ever realized. We have the ability to make choices that directly determine (at least partly) how our bodies respond to respiratory viruses and other health issues.

Immune System Influencers

There are a few immune influencers that most of us know.

Stress is one example. It’s pretty simple: less stress, less illness. Lower stress supports a stronger immune system.
The same goes for sleep: research demonstrates a direct correlation between sleep and your health. For example, those who sleep less than 6 hours per night are over four times more likely to catch a cold or get sick when compared to people who sleep 7 or more hours per night. So get your sleep! No more late night Netflix binges.
Exercise and diet. People who exercise and those who eat better have better immune systems.

Vitamin D and Immunity

One thing many people don’t know is the proven profound effect vitamin D has on your immune system. We often hear about vitamin D’s benefits for a number of reasons, including: better bone health, mood, and more. But more and more research is demonstrating that vitamin D is a key factor in supporting a strong, healthy immune system.

In fact, recent research shows us that supplementing with vitamin D on a regular basis could help your body fight off a respiratory illness — and not by just a little. Get this: in one study, older adults who supplemented with increased amounts of vitamin D on a regular basis had 40% less respiratory infections than those who took a regular, standard dose. The study also concluded that supplementing with vitamin D showed an overall protective effect against acute respiratory tract infections.

You can see why making sure you’re not deficient in vitamin D is important. If you want an overall stronger immune system and if you want to help decrease your risk of respiratory infection, then supplement with a high-quality source of vitamin D.

The “high-quality” part is where it gets tricky. There are literally hundreds, and probably even thousands of low-quality vitamin D’s on the market today — don’t be fooled by their catchy names or tag lines. You need to make sure you are supplementing with only the best form of vitamin D that not only provides a full therapeutic dose of the vitamin in its active form, but is also 100% plant-based. That’s hard to find, since most vitamin D supplements are made from the excretions of sheep glands. Smarter Vitamin D checks all these boxes: it provides 5,000 IUs of plant-based vitamin D3 along with vitamin K2, which is an absolute must when supplementing with vitamin D.

For years we heard that you need to get 20-30 minutes of direct sun each day — that’s what’s been recommended to help you get enough vitamin D and improve your health. But new research is showing us that it is just not that simple. In fact, we are finding that it’s really difficult to get enough Vitamin D from sunshine or food alone. That’s another reason getting a good plant-based Vitamin D supplement is so important.

This is all part of supporting a healthy immune system. We are nearing the peak of the worst pandemic in our history and we are still in our winter/spring virus season. What does that mean? It means that 90% of Americans (that’s 9 out of 10) are deficient in Vitamin D — leading to weakened immune systems and increased risk of respiratory illnesses. Talk about horrible timing, right?

Keep in mind that a multivitamin won’t contain the therapeutic dose (the dose required to make up for a deficiency), and if you are deficient, it can take a week or two to get your levels up to where they should be, so start as soon as possible.

Wrap-Up

To summarize, we are currently in uncharted territory. COVID-19 has turned our lives upside down — but we can take some control and make sure we are doing everything we can to stay healthy and fit, both physically and mentally to make the best of a really bad situation.

Take this time to focus on you: set goals, spend time with family, cook some great meals, read a few great books, listen to amazing music, exercise, and make sure that you are supporting a healthy immune system. Smarter Nutrition vitamin D has been sold out for a while, but it’s back in stock.

Stay healthy, stay well, and stay positive — we are going to get through this, together!