I have been feeling a little under the weather this week (#holidays, #travel, #cold..gah) and was chatting on my instagram stories about what I do to boost my immune system and kick myself back into shape. Figured why not share that here and give you guys a little more info on my wellness routine so you can always refer back to it here!

I have always had a weaker immune system and over the last 2 years or so have been searching for ways to naturally boost my immune system and keep my body above the wellness line so I stay healthy. Food, sleep, limiting stress, and fueling my body with the right nutrients/supplements has been so key in staying well! Here’s some of the things I do to stay above the wellness line – and when I’m not feeling well, I kick it into high gear and double or triple up on all of these!

1. homemade chicken soup

This is a MUST! And gives me all the nostalgia for Sundays at my great Gram’s growing up. Nothing quite like a hot bowl of soup! I use two organic chicken breasts (bone in, with skin) chop up a ton of veggies, some fresh garlic (whole cloves) and let it simmer for a few hours on low. The benefits of chicken soup when you’re feeling blah have a better greater affect than just the ‘feel goods’.. chicken soup actually helps fight infection! I read some fascinating benefits of chicken soup here.   If you want to go all out, and have some time, then make a batch of bone broth. Bone broth has SOO many health benefits, including helping to reduce inflammation, support strong hair/nails, boost immune system to fight colds/flus and much much more! A lot of you guys are following my dads new cooking account @mikeskitchen_ – seriously, how amazing is it! & he has his bone broth recipe step by step on his saved highlights! Check it out + whip yourself up a batch to help stay healthy this season!

2. wellness tea

This is literally a saving grace. The second I feel any sort of scratch or sniffle coming on, I start drinking this concoction round the clock. Honey (great source of antioxidants), apple cider vin (helps kill pathogens + bacteria), lemon oil (detoxifying), and thieves oil (immune boosting) make for a power packed wellness tea with everything you need to stay well!

When using essential oils in cooking or beverages, only use the Young Living vitality line – it’s FDA recognized as ingestible and the only oils I would ever touch with a ten foot pole in my kitchen! Both of these came in my starter kit + I use them for this tea plus 1,000 other things.

Recipe:

1 tbsp. organic raw honey
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 drop thieves vitality essential oil
1 drop lemon vitality essential oil
Mix with hot water + drink up!

Also, I totally realize that not everyone is familiar with thieves – so here’s a little tray experiment a friend of mine did on thieves vs. other mainstream cleaners (the thieves blend is not just an oil but also an entire line of household products.. the only thing I use in my house!)

Okay so.. who’s still using method, myers, or lysol? Girl, time to get off that train + onto the clean one! 😉 

3. supplements

Load. Up. On. Supplements. You guys, I can’t stress this enough. Our general diets don’t have the amount of nutrients we need (unless you eat clean 100% of the time) and a lot of us are lacking the proper nutrients and building blocks our bodies need to function properly. Just facts! I’ll be sharing my full supplement routine in the new year, but here’s what I take in the fall/winter and especially when I’m starting to feel under the weather:

+ Super C: power packed combo of vitamin C infused with orange essential oil and camu camu powder (powerful antioxidant!) I take two of these per day.

+ Inner Defense: You guys, this stuff is MAGIC. You NEED it and that’s not an exaggeration whatsoever. This week I’ve been taking two a day and am feeling back to myself after just two days. Inner Defense is packed with Thieves Essential Oil, oregano, and thyme. Taking inner defense creates unfriendly environment for yeast/fungus in your body and promotes healthy respiratory function. Hello, yes please sign me right up!

+ Thieves Cough drops: minty, fresh, and a little bit of spice.. sans all the sugar, preservatives and dyes in all those other cough drops you’ll find out there. When you’re sick, you don’t need more sugar or fake junk in your body (germs feed on it!) The thieves blend I showed above is in here plus peppermint with naturally occurring menthol –> what’s going to soothe those throats, relieve coughs, and cool off those clogged sinuses.

4. diffusing

Make your home smell good WHILE purifying/cleaning the air, supporting your immune system, and staying healthy. Candles, air fresheners, and plug ins are full of toxic junk (read my blog post on that here!) so i switched to oils almost two years ago now and it was one of the best things I ever did. Better sleep, less headaches, more focus, allllll. the. things. you guys!

I diffuse constantly.. I have 5 diffusers in my house going all day, around the clock. (I share tons of diffuser blends and more on @cuspessentials!) butttt, when I’m starting to feel a little under the weather thieves + lemon are my best friends. In they go to all the diffusers, for the same reasons why I add them to my wellness tea! Thieves helps support the immune system (and look how powerful it is in warding off junk in that photo above!) and then lemon because it cleans/purifies.

I would sooo much rather fill my home with oils (good ones, not amazon/target/whole goods oil that are filled with fake oils) than candles and breathe in those toxic fumes. Even soy ones are great, guys – don’t be fooled by that ‘green marketing’ junk!

5. epsom salt baths

Ahhh, these have sooo many benefits + are secretly (or not so secretly) one of my guilty pleasures. I try to take at least one bath a week, but the last months my life has been a little cray and that hasn’t happened. I miss this unwind time – usually when I turn off the phone, have some soothing music on, oils diffusing, the whole deal!

Epsom salt baths are actually so good for supporting your body. Getting a little technical here, but epsom is a mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. When you take baths with epsom, these minerals are is absorbed into your skin and provide a ton of health benefits. Magnesium does everything from regulating the activity of over 325 enzymes in the body, to reducing inflammation, helping muscle and nerve function, and helping to prevent artery hardening. Sulfates help improve the absorption of nutrients, flush toxins, and help ease migraine headaches. So basically – why aren’t we taking one everyday? I don’t know either.. ha!

I also add in different oils that help support my body. When I’m not feeling well, eucalyptus, frankincense, and wintergreen are usually my go to. Eucalyptus is a natural decongestant, and helps support the body with any respiratory things. Frankincense supports overall wellness and healing. And wintergreen has naturally occurring menthol so helps relieve those aches or soreness in joints/muscles that come with not feeling well.

Okay you guys, that’s about it! Just a few tips for staying healthy + well in colder months. Support your bodies naturally and keep them above the wellness line so you don’t get those sickies like everyone else! You can use this image above to pin on pinterest + save it/share with your friends.

I talked about oils a ton, so if you want to grab your own little starter pack + oils, then head here to my oils page. You an get all the ones I mentioned above plus a diffuser in the starter bundle (thats what I have!).