Sonya's H1N1 tips

I know the government is really trying to help control the spread of the H1N1 virus and each of the basic things they say are really important; but don't you get a little tired of being told to cough into your elbow and wash your hands with soap?! There are so many other things you can do to help your body's immune system handle what comes its way. We are not completely at the mercy of germs like we would be conditioned to believe.

Here is my own list...(just keep in mind I am not a medical practioner of any kind)

• Eat more whole foods...reach for fruits and vegetables instead of packaged food
• Take time to prepare and enjoy your food. Consider ordering from somewhere like Food for Thought if time is a challenge (for the month of October, all web orders get you entered in a draw for $100 of frozen food)
• Use simple things like straight lemon juice for a sore throat, a teaspoon of honey for a cough, a hot lemon and honey drink with a sprinkle of cayenne for stuffiness and sore throat, garlic (you can even tuck a clove in your sock and benefit)
• Find some nourishing comfort foods like soup. Here are two you might like to try: garlic soup (it was actually creamy and delicious), and chicken noodle (from the old country)
• Go to a health food store like Aviva (my favorite...one on Adelaide near Notre Dame and one on Meadowood and online store as well) I picked up oil of oregano recently, which has a very spicy/burning sensation under the tongue, but very effective to nip colds in the bud. You can also rub it on your feet (better for kids). Of course, Vitamin C and zinc are great to have on hand.
• Take a couple minutes and wipe the high-use objects in your home with a damp micro-fibre cloth (lightswitches, doorknobs, phones etc.)
• Get lots of hugs. Our bodies and souls thrive on human touch. Hugs are probably the least contagious form of touch and the nicest! (Rodney is a good one for hugs...find people that are embracing or initiate it yourself!)
• Laugh! Pick a word for the week as your secret laugh word...whenever you hear it, it's your cue to laugh! My daughter and I had a great time with this. Pick up a laughter CD from Spa Drole or find a laughter yoga class (there's one that meets at Source Yoga on Osborne Mondays from 12:15-12:45. See here for details) Laughter boosts our body's natural ability to fend off illness.
• Find ways to relax deeply. Yoga (I love Moksha Yoga), or a spa experience (Tiber River and Rituals offer a mini-spa experience). I've heard good things from the Inn at the Forks' spa as well as the Fort Garry Hotel's spa)
• Go for a walk to wind down and connect with yourself.
• Find a way to move your body that feels good. Dance, run, stretch, whatever.
• Journal. Get a book...any kind of book...or take a little time and find one that you find beautiful and inspiring. But just do it. Try stream-of-consciousness writing: three pages of whatever comes to mind. Make a gratitude journal. Start a page with "What do I need?" Doing this writing gets us in touch with what we're thinking and helps us see both positive things we can focus on as well as actions we need to take in our lives. Very key for maintaining health.
• Talk to yourself! Tell yourself you will provide your body with what it needs in order for it to stay strong and healthy. Sing a phrase of health over yourself. Your body is not just a bunch of cells that are isolated from your emotions and your spirit. Words are powerful.
• Say no.
• Listen to your body.
• Take a sick day before you're all-out sick.