This post was written about a year and a half ago, but it seemed worth sharing again, since literally everyone I know seems to be sick right now. I did add some new tricks I’ve found too 👌 Happy, healthy weekend to you all!!

Friends- it’s good to be back after a few weeks!! I’m coming back to you all after my family and I were under the weather for a few weeks. I was down and out for a few days, but I’m SUPER grateful to be back to 100%!

And, since the whole experience is fresh in my mind, I thought I’d address some of the questions I get from clients a lot about working out when under the weather, relieving symptoms and staying well:

First, can I workout when sick??

Well…yes and no.

1- always check with your medical provider if you’re not sure, since all our bodies are so different.

2- if you have a fever, take the day off. Your body is working HARD right now- give it time to do it’s job

3- if your symptoms are mild, ease back into exercise. I often start with a restorative yoga practice, then progress to more challenging yoga workouts, then to barre/Pilates, then to body weight strength, then to strength training with weights, and then to cardio. Again- we are all so different, so if you’re not sure what might work best for you, reach out for a consult.

Hydration, hydration, hydration…

Water is your BEST friend. It can help reduce headaches, aides digestion, is incredible for skin, protects joints and muscles, and supports immunity. There are about 10 other benefits I can list here, but I just chose some of my faves 💦💦
OH, and plenty of new research points out that our cells are often unable to absorb all the water we drink, so I highly recommend using a clean electrolyte product. Here’s the go-to my whole family uses: https://jessicatreadwell1.isagenix.com/en-us/search?q=Hydrate&page=1

Think outside the pharmacy:

Again- I’m NEVER telling you not to listen to your doctor. But I do think it’s always a good thing to look for natural remedies when possible. What works for my family includes local honey for coughs, saline rinses or spray for congestion, essential oils for congestion, steam for sinus and ear congestion and good quality herbs for so many things! (See your naturopath or functional medicine doc for those)

A few supplements I love:

Again- always consult with your medical partners to find out what’s best for your body. For me, I take adaptogens , a high quality cbd and a magnesium supplement daily, and those can help with so many things. So I kept up with those, but also added in my favorite collagen bone broth (this one is made with vitamin C too- extra benefit for immune health!) Bone broth has myriad health benefits, but just a few of the awesome ones are:
✅support for the immune system

✅decreasing respiratory symptoms

✅supporting digestion

✅increasing energy

✅and supporting healthy hair, teeth and skin.

Remember to be kind to yourself:

Truthfully, I haven’t had much chance to read a book for pleasure (for more than 10 minutes a day anyway) in months! Or maybe it’s years?! So, each afternoon, when the kids were doing “quiet time” in their rooms, I took the two hours and called friends, family or READ FOR FUN 🙌🏼🙌🏼 I got a few books done and it was amazing to put the “to do list” aside for a while. Self care is ALWAYS vital, but when we’re under the weather, maybe out bodies are telling us we’ve been neglecting it a bit too much??

Prep your environment for healing:

When I’m needing to heal a bit, I try to facilitate more restful sleep by putting electronics away early and often, prepping my room to be a cool, dark place, going to bed a bit early, diffusing some essential oils and spraying some of this awesome eucalyptus spray on my pillow and in the steam in the shower. I used it on my kids pillows too- and we all slept MUCH more comfortably.

I’d love to hear how you all take extra amazing care of your bodies when you’re under the weather. It’s never fun, but I do remind myself that my body is an AMAZING, strong, capable healing machine.

Now, back to fun weekends of family, friends and summer fun ⛱☀️🌻

Sending sunshine you’re way, friends ☀️☀️☀️