The thing is, in today’s busy, demanding environment it has become the norm for us to walk around feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, and sometimes, totally frazzled. We are challenged daily by impossibly busy schedules, stressful jobs, financial worries, trips up and down the motorway, and non-stop stimulation from media.

The impact of this stress makes the efforts we invest into our healthy eating, the supplements we take and how much we exercise, close to worthless and we are putting ourselves at increased risk for chronic and degenerative diseases like cancer, heart disease, autoimmune issues, thyroid problems, and diabetes.

Did you ever read, “Why Zebras don’t get Ulcers?”  It’s about how we deal with stress.  If a zebra were to be put under similar stress as us humans every day he wouldn’t get an ulcer.  Basically because our body turns on the same physiological responses that the zebra’s does, but we don’t resolve conflict in the same way.  Faced with a lion (pretty stressful), a zebra will stop and fight or flee. When faced with a massive deadline, chemicals like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol will still release into our bloodstream, but we don’t use them to fight or flee.  Over time this weakens our immune system and other defences in a big way.  I regularly check in on myself and the ways that I can make little tweaks and changes to decrease the stress I feel on a daily basis.

So now, importantly, what can we do to get back on our feet quickly when a cold does strike??

The first thing we do as a family as soon as it feels like we are coming down with a cold, or others around us are dropping like flies, is apply doTERRA’s On Guard to the soles of our feet 3 times a day.  1 drop goes onto everyone, but I would advise diluting for babies under 1.  You can read about the magic of On Guard and other essential oils in this blog, 10 Must Haves to Survive and Thrive this Winter.  I roll my ‘Keep Me Well’ Rollerball to my feet every day, which contains many of the oils described in this blog (because mama doesn’t get the luxury of a sick day!), which gives my immune system a daily boost and colds are definitely less frequent than they used to be!

If the cold does hit we go straight onto Sodium Ascorbate and Lypospheric Vitamin C.  We take small doses frequently to bowel tolerance.  The smaller the person, the smaller the dose and the more frequent it’s given. I give my one year old the tiniest tip of a teaspoon every half an hour with a lick of the lypo.

We are all refined sugar free in our house, but if you’re not it is a good thing to cut out while your body fights whatever infection or virus is bothering it.  That includes fructose sugar too!  Popular health site Mercola recommends adding in the following foods:

• Raw, grass-fed organic milk, and/or high.-quality whey protein
• Fermented foods such as raw kefir, kimchee, miso, pickles, sauerkraut
• Raw, organic eggs from pastured chickens
• Grass-fed beef
• Coconuts and coconut oil
• Organic vegetables and Garlic. Ideally consumed raw and crushed just before eating
• Turmeric, oregano, cinnamon, cloves
• Mushrooms, especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake

We up the On Guard application to every couple of hours too and add zinc drops to our water.  If after a couple of days we are not getting better, or we are getting worse, on day 3 we hit the THE FLU BOMB and I make a soothing and decongesting chest rub from Frankincense and doTERRA’s blend, Breathe.  I share these recipes and others in my Essential Oils Made Easy eBook.  To be notified when this can be purchased for sale, subscribe to my newsletter.  You can read my latest one (3 free gifts for you) and subscribe at the top left of the page here!

My O2 on the Go portable oxygen units may also be helpful in your recovery from any illness and for meeting the physiological demands on the body in times of additional stress.  Click here to check them out!  This will certainly be advantageous to your exercise regime in general.  Many athletes, singers, movie stars and stage actors are using portable Oxygen Generators.  Oxygen gives them that superior performance and keeps them looking good and performing well.  Oxygen can immediately alleviate fatigue after exercise, calm the pulse and activate blood circulation, generating vigour and energy.

So, go forth and continue in your good exercise efforts #fitmamatribe!  Don’t let the pesky bugs knock you off your stride.  And if they do, make sure you follow these helpful steps to get you back on your feet in no time!

Much love x x x