There is a lot that we don’t know about COVID19, but what seems clear so far is that people with underlying conditions seem to be more susceptible to the virus and more likely to develop serious complications. Another pattern that is emerging is one of hyper-inflammation and of an inadequate immune system response.
And while the Coronavirus pandemic may create a lot of fear and anxiety, there is a lot that we can do to take our power back, and make sure that we can optimize our bodies to optimize our response to COVID19. And whilst anxiety is created by fear and uncertainty, taking positive actions can actually help us to lower our anxiety levels as well.
NUTRITION:
The first thing to do is to lower your sugar and processed foods consumption. Sugar is pro-inflammatory, meaning that it feeds into that hyper-inflammation response that is so often associated with Coronavirus.Too much sugar can also lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity, other risk factors for COVID19.Likewise processed foods are highly inflammatory due to processed vegetable oils, high sugar and Omega 6 content.
Increasing real, nutrients rich, colorful foods has never been so important for our health. Focus on eating the rainbow and Vitamin C rich foods, healthy fats with an adequate amounts of proteins & complex carbs.
EXERCISE
Exercise helps you improving you metabolism, ( therefore lowering the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, diabetes type 2 obesity as seen above) lower you stress & anxiety, improves your cardio-vascular health, helps you detoxify, keeps your brain young, and it is a fundamental component of your health and well-being.
Exercise, may as well mean, long walks, riding your bicycle, dancing, playing with your kids in the park or gardening, if you really are not a sporty type. If you are out of shape or fatigued you can also try breaking you exercise down to 5 -10 min and then repeat 2-3 times a day.
The only thing you need to be aware with exercise is over-training, as it perceived as stress by the body, and require more repair work. If you are used to exercise a lot, simply make sure that you have enough recovery between sessions.
SLEEP
Sleep is fundamental for all the cellular repair activities. It helps detoxify our mind, it is essential for hormonal health, cognitive function and to lower our stress and anxiety response. Lack of good quality sleep, is translated as stress by the body which increases the production of the hormone cortisol, which has a cascade of repercussions on our health.
Too much cortisol can lower our immune response, increase inflammation, impair our digestive system, and lead to food and sugar cravings. Need I say more?
STRESS
I know that stress and anxiety levels are sky high during this pandemic, but we however need to try to keep our levels of stress and anxiety down. The best way is to increase the amount of “pleasurable” activities, those ones that makes you “feel good” and create good endorphins: talking to a friend, a hobby, exercise, playing with your pet, going for long walks, watching a good comedy show, listening to music, dancing, yoga.
Stress together with lack of good quality sleep, lower your immune system response, increase inflammation, drains your adrenal glands and saps your energy, making you more prone to overeat and consume sugary and fatty foods.
Getting out of that flight & fight system even for 5 min is absolutely essential for your health. Cut down on the news and negativity in your life, focus on connection, and what makes you feel good. Learn some easy and quick pranayama breathing exercises and meditation
If you feel like you want some advice or need some help in creating a plan to improve your long term health and wellbeing, feel free to get in touch. I now offer more flexibility, starting from 30min appointments, and a FREE lifestyle assessment. For more info or to book a clarity call please text me at +44 7725741543.
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