How To Protect Your Immune System In A Post-COVID World?

Things are opening back up! Restrictions are loosening and people are beginning to emerge from their hermit life.

Anybody else excited to go into a grocery store mask-free?

But here's one thing to keep in mind as we are phasing reopening of the world. We have been inside for a while, we have stayed away from people for a while, we have worked at home for a while, we have worn masks for a while, our immune systems may not be what they used to be.

This is important to remember. My fear is that we won't take this into consideration and we will meet up with a large group of friends or head to the busy mall without a mask and suddenly the world is sick again and they put those restrictions back up.

Let's avoid that!

One thing (you may have seen) that I have criticized the government officials for during this time is that there was a huge emphasis on "stay home," "wear a mask," "don't travel," but no suggestions for "take care of your immune systems," "eat healthy," "exercise," etc. Staying home won't do us anything if we have a society of people with weak immune systems when we come out of it.

I have another blog that I wrote earlier in the pandemic on ways to optimize your immune system during the pandemic. I highly recommend checking that one out!

>>Read Here<<

Today's post will be a complimentary post to that one on how we can take care and protect our immune systems as we enter a post-COVID world so we can avoid going backwards (and no worries, none of the suggestions are masks or staying home).

Some of the ideas will overlap because they are effective here too but many will be new!

5 Ways To Continue To Protect Your Immune System As We Transition Back To "Regular Life."

1. Nature! Nature! Nature!

It's no secret that I am a big fan of telling people to go outside. I wrote a whole blog on this topic actually!

>>Read it here<<

But during COVID a lot of research was done to try to understand it. Some key ones were how the outdoors actually decreases exposure. Inside COVID can remain on surfaces for 3-4 days they say but outside it hardly lasts at all. Why?

The answer is sunlight.

The UV light from the sun helps break down nucleic acid, in other words, it breaks down viruses on outdoor surfaces. Furthermore, sunlight is good for us too (hello vitamin d)!

Going outside gives you so many benefits to help protect yourself as we transition back to life including,

• Increased vitamin d
• Helps set your sleep cycle (when you don't get enough sleep your anti-body count is reduced)
• Increased exposure to organic compounds that plants release that help boost immune system function
• Increased exposure to sunlight helps energize T Cells that assist in fighting infection
• Increased amounts of oxygen resulting in increased white blood cell function

2. Take your vitamins

There are a number of great vitamins that assist in immune system function and fighting colds and flu. However, I recommend not solely relying on supplements to get these vitamins.

Vitamins are always better when they come straight from food that has come straight from the ground.

A few of my favourites:

• Vitamin D (we get it from sunlight). In the spring, summer, and even fall I suggest getting outside for vitamin d as much as possible. In the darker, winter months I suggest adding in a daily vitamin d supplement.
• Elderberries. Elderberries have many great benefits such as boosting the production of cytokines, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-cancer, and high in vitamin a, b, c, and potassium.
• Vitamin C (probably the biggest immune system booster). Vitamin C has so much power over your body. A lack of it can actually make you more prone to getting sick and it's something your body doesn't produce or store so getting it daily is essential. Most fruits contain lots of it so if you're eating a lot of fruit you won't need a supplement.
• Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is vital in supporting many biochemical reactions of our immune system.

3. Manage Stress.

A lot of people are no longer used to the busy nature, the interaction, being out of the house for so long, etc. anymore. These are all things that can cause stress to our bodies. They always have but previously we found a way to deal with them and get through them.

As we transition back to those things make sure you are utilizing good stress management tools and give yourself some time to get reacquainted with these things.

Monitor your body, take breaks when you need them, and don't feel bad about needing to have some alone time at the end of the day. We can all use some of that.

4. Monitor future sickness

Don't go back to the way things were when we forced ourselves (or were forced) to go to work when we were sick. When we do that we put other people at risk but our recovery time is also longer.

Stress on the body (such as pushing through work when we're sick) can both increase how sick we are and the duration of time we are sick. Giving ourselves time for recovery is key when wanting to quickly get over a bug.

Instead, stay home, drink lots of ginger lemon tea, take your vitamins, nap, eat lots of fruits and vegetables and then go back to work when you're feeling better.

One thing to keep in mind here, getting sick is okay and a natural part of life. Getting sick is helpful to optimize our immune systems and help them get really good at their job. Some people's immune systems are so great they hardly feel sickness when it comes but sometimes when we spend a lot of time inside and our immune systems don't have to work it forgets how to do their job. This can result in feeling much worse when we do get sick.

5. Stay clean

Some of the best advice to come out of this pandemic is the intense pressure to wash your hands.

I highly recommend investing in chemical-free, simple ingredient, low waste soap. Chemical-free and natural ingredients mean it's something that should naturally be touching our bodies and is both better for us and better for the environment. Win-win right?!

One thing to keep in mind, while hand sanitizer is convenient and good in a pinch it should not replace actual hand washing. Most hand sanitizers, especially the cheaper ones, don't just get rid of the bad bacteria, they also get rid of the good and useful bacteria. We need the good bacteria so that our hands are able to fight infection. I'm not saying never use it but when you can choose soap and water over sanitizer.

Regular showers and house cleaning is also a really positive strategy to keep doing. Both having a dirty body and having a dirty house can increase your chances of getting sick and not knowing where that sickness originated.

When it comes to transitioning everyone is entitled to do what they feel most comfortable doing. We cannot control what anyone else does (especially if they are not breaking the rules such as not wearing a mask while going for a walk outside) so you do not have the right to judge.

Do what makes you feel most safe, focus on optimizing your immune system, and work on not being afraid. Living in fear increases your stress level and decreases your mental health both of which make you more likely to become sick when you're exposed to bacteria.

The end is in sight and I don't know about you but I cannot wait to be lying on a beach sipping a fruity drink of some kind!

Do you have an immune-boosting strategy you like? Send an email to [email protected] and tell us about it!

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