Can I get a boost here?

So, remember my post from yesterday? The one where I was all "I feel so great after doing cardio for two hours..." and then I mentioned that I felt dehydrated. Well, shortly after that post I took a nose-dive head first into the toilet. I ended up with some sort of tummy bug. Ick. Thank goodness hub and the in laws were here to run interference with Baby Elvis. Taking care of a little one with terrible nausea and a splitting headache was not working well. And no, I didn't drink a single drop of alcohol if that is what you were thinking.

I just seem to be getting sick A LOT. No really, way more than I should. Let's take a quick look at my illnesses in the past few months:

1. Flu
2. Mastitis
3. Common Cold
4. Tummy Bug of sorts

Pre-baby Elvis I rarely got sick. I always kind of looked down my nose at those people not blessed with a great immune system. As though me and my little immune system were somehow superior. Karma is a bitch, though.

So in a fit of frustration I google searched into oblivion to find out how to give my immune system a boost without all sorts of supplements and herbs. I wanted immune boost Au natural. Here's what I found from some pretty remarkable sites:

Eat my way healthy
There is a nice long list of good foods to incorporate into my diet to boost immunity. These include everything from lemon juice to garlic. In short, eat healthy. Which I do for the most part. Suite101 outlined a lovely blend of protein, raw fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. While none of this was particularly earth-shattering to me, what was is that in all my research the experts site refined sugars as immune system weakeners. I gasped. Out loud. Really? I'm starting to think that sugar is the source of all evil. It's the white devil.

Here's an excerpt from Suite 101: "Worse yet is the impact of refined white sugar. If you do only one thing to boost your immune system, eliminating sugar will do the trick. You will see noticeable results in your energy levels, weight distribution, immunity and your ability to think clearly when you break the cravings and stop eating refined sugar. Many holistic nutritionists consider sugar a drug for its impact on the human body; I have known practitioners to prioritize eliminating sugar from the diet over recommending that people quitting smoking."

Pretty damning for the white devil, isn't it? Well, I am willing to give it a shot. Cut out sugar. Hmmm. Ok.

Hit the Hay
Easier said than done in my case. I get sweet Baby Elvis off to la-la land around 6pm. Then I scramble to make dinner for myself and hub, check email, maybe teach a late aerobics class, shower, fold some laundry and then hop into bed. Right about the time I close my eyes and feel myself slip into a slumber (around 10 p.m.) Baby Elvis decides it's time to eat. Then this happens again at 2 a.m. and he's up at 4 a.m. Yes, I awake bleary-eyed and frazzled at 4 a.m. almost every morning. He doesn't go back to sleep until about 7 a.m. and then I feel guilty going to sleep then. I stumble into the shower and brew up the coffee. We're working on it though. Baby E is a plump little guy and doesn't NEED to eat at these times. He just likes it that way. I try the shushing and bouncing and rocking and singing and all the tricks. He just wants to eat. Then lights out. He's back to snoozeville.

I digress. In theory 6-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep is ideal. Everyone has their own sleep number, though. Not the fancy bed (which I would love to have, by the way). This number is the number of hours that you need. Some people need 6 and some people need 10. Sleep is so restorative. It's also been linked to "balanced hormone levels (including human growth hormone and the stress hormone, cortisol), keeping weight down, clear thinking and reasoning, improved mood, and vibrant, healthy skin."

I have vowed to go to bed at 8 tonight. Right after I finish this post.

Water
Water consumption is just like sleep, everyone has a special number. An interesting finding on my google scour is that everyone has a unique amount of water they need each day. We've always heard the recommended 8 glasses per day, but I found a fun formula that determines how much water you actually need.

weight divided by 2 = the amount of water in ounces you need to drink each day. For a 150 pound person they need 75 ounces, roughly 9 8-oz glasses of water per day. This is pure water. Sodas, coffee and sugary drinks do not count.

So by my calculations I need to drink another 4 glasses before I go to bed at 8:00. Seems counterproductive since I'm trying to get more sleep. Water will just make me have to go to the bathroom ten times during the night...

So, lots of water (early in the day).

Herbs
I didn't necessarily want to add all kinds of supplements to my regimen, but the evidence cannot be argued. Echinacea, garlic root and an interesting one called Goldenseal are all players in the battle against germs and infection. What seems the most doable for me, though, was to introduce herbal tea in the mornings vs. coffee.

Please share any other immune system boosters that have worked for you. This is a topic that we should all take note of. Healthy immune system for healthy, happy folks!

I also wanted to share a FAB site for fellow Mommas. There are some cool giveaways that support Mom-owned businesses and blogs. You can even search health-related businesses. They support my site and I fully support theirs. Check it out: http://livingmymoment.com/

Sources:
http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/10_ways_to_boost_immune_health
http://www.whatreallyworks.co.uk/start/factsheets.asp?article_ID=112