How to Boost Your Immunity: Easy Tips & Tricks to Fight Cold and Flu Season for the Entire Family

I don't know about you, but I'm TERRIFIED of my children bringing home what I like to call the "First Week of School Cooties". We've *somehow* managed to stay healthy all summer - and then the kids enter school (aka The Cootie Kingdom) and before you even know what's happening, they've got a runny nose & fever.. or worse. In my community, Hand Foot & Mouth disease is spreading like wild fire. Nice. They bring that junk home and then we're all down for the count. So how can we build up our immune systems?

Leading health MD Dr. Christopher Hobbs from Rainbow Light has created his top 10 tips to boost your immune system and give you an edge on fighting flu this fall. With over 30 years in the fields of holistic, natural health, Dr. Hobbs helps his patients and readers look and feel their best every day.

 

Dr. Hobbs' Top 10 Tips to Boost Immunity
Easy, effective tips & tricks to fight cold/flu season for the entire family!

1. Get regular exercise. Regular exercise helps condition resistance to infections by circulating blood and immune cells.
2. Practice hydrotherapy. After exercise, get into a cool swimming pool or shower to help circulate surface immunity. Hydrotherapy has been practiced in many cultures for at least 2,000 years to help maintain and restore health.
3. Sleep is vital. In one study, the cold virus was swabbed into two groups of volunteers. One group was allowed eight hours sleep, while the other was restricted to less than seven hours. The latter group was three times more likely to contract a respiratory infection (Cohen et al, 2009).
4. Address symptoms early. If you start feeling under the weather, try an herbal remedy with herbs researched for immune support (elderberry, andrographis, berberine) like Rainbow Light® Counter Attack™ Immuno-Response to bolster immunity and reduce symptom severity.
5. Try adding immune-boosting products and nutrients into your diet.
6. Limit sugar and processed foods. These items can have a negative effect on your health, especially when immunity is compromised.
7. Incorporate garlic into dishes. Fresh garlic has natural immune-boosting qualities. Try to incorporate it into dishes, particularly if you aren't feeling well.
8. Take a daily multivitamin. It's difficult to get all of our daily nutrients from food. Fill gaps in your diet through a multivitamin to get what you need for optimal health - Rainbow Light has a great variety of multivitamins for the entire family.
9. Drink hot green tea. It contains compounds that help strengthen resistance.
10. Get fresh air. Dress warmly and venture outdoors, even if only for a short, brisk walk. The fresh air invigorates and boosts natural defenses.

Dr. Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., L.Ac., A.H.G., Director at Rainbow Light - With over 30 years of experience in the health space and as a licensed herbalist at Rainbow Light, Dr. Hobbs has immense experience in the specialties of vitamins, holistic health medicine, natural products, organic, wellness and diet/weight loss and has worked closely with clients to help them achieve optimal health. Following a "whole, simple and nutritious" diet approach, Dr. Hobbs actively motivates clients to participate in personally designed health plans while educating clients on the immense benefits of a clean diet outlook. Hobbs has authored 25 books, including Herbal Remedies for Dummies and Women's Herbs, Women's Health. He shares his knowledge of herbal medicine with consumers and educators all over the world through lectures, and utilized his expertise in this field to found the Institute for Natural Products Research. He also serves as a consultant to the herb industry.

Life Hacks - School Lunch Edition

Top 5 School Lunch Nutritional Hacks

With kids headed back to school, it’s more important than ever to support their healthy development and give them every possible advantage in the classroom.

 

On top of ensuring the kiddos complete their homework every day and make it out the door on time, parents are now more focused than ever on the importance of proper nutrition in their diet. However, giving children a once-a-day vitamin may not be the best route anymore as research has shown that nutrients from natural sources (ahem, real whole foods) are more readily absorbed and utilized by their growing bodies.

 

Hurried parents who pack their kids’ lunches every day may find it a bit frustrating to keep it both healthy and tasty, especially for those picky eaters. Shane Griffin, the CEO of Whole Life Balance – an international nutritional coaching company – has worked with many parents who have faced this same struggle.

 

Shane’s solution? Try sneaking nutrients into your kids’ food with these 5 school lunch nutritional hacks!

 

(Shane has no financial affiliation with any brands mentioned below – they are just healthy recommended options)

 

 

1.       Utilize Powdered foods: Powdered whole foods have recently made their way into the market, and they are an excellent tool for parents whose kids are picky eaters. Say your kid craves Mac n’ Cheese every week - the boxed versions have little nutrition on their own. By adding Activz’s powdered carrots and pumpkin into your own creation, you’re giving your kid a tasty treat while greatly boosting the nutritional value of an otherwise unhealthy meal. Check out this delicious recipe here.  

2.       Embrace the superfruit fad: “Superfruit” is an overused term these days, but it came to light for a good reason:  Some fruits just pack a bigger nutritional punch than others. One of my favorite newcomers is camu camu, a fruit straight out the Amazon Rainforest with 30X the Vitamin C of an orange and 10X the antioxidant capacity of acai. Immune-boosting Vitamin C is especially important with kids headed back into the classroom, as research shows that 164 million school days are missed yearly due to infectious diseases. So parents, try sneaking vitamin C into this tasty salad with some Amaçari – a 100% whole food camu camu supplement - to support their good health.

3.       Go lean or go home: Not all meats are created equal, but they are a great source of protein that every growing body craves. A great way to boost the nutritional value of any school lunch is to substitute leaner meats into the mix. Try using ground turkey instead of beef in your meatloaf or meatballs, or if you’re making tacos try substituting pork ribs for the ground beef you’re accustomed to. If your kid loves chicken, skip the fried version for a nice organic boneless, skinless alternative. Remember, proper seasoning is important to keep the flavor consistent!

4.       Bake in the goodness: Most kids are fans of baked treats, but they don’t have to know how the cookie is made – they just care how it tastes! If you’re cooking muffins or cookies, try using organic applesauce as the base. Then, toss in some ground flaxseed or wheat germ into the batter to boost the nutritional content. If you’re feeling extra bold, adding in pureed squash, zucchini or banana to really give it a healthy lift. Substituting healthy alternatives like these will teach your kids that tasty doesn’t have to mean unhealthy!

5.       Blend in a nutritional boost: Smoothies can be your best friend, and give you a chance to really provide whole food nutrients in the tastiest way possible. As a base, use organic milk or a dairy alternative like rice or almond milk. Load up the smoothie with spinach, berries, and a banana for sweetness. Remember, Omega-3’s are a vital part of your kid’s brain development, so add in some of Karlene Karst’s Sea-liocous Omega-3’s to create the ultimate powerhouse smoothie!

 

Back to School Shoe Shopping at Famous Footwear - My Favorite Styles for Pre-K

It's the most wonderful time of the year - Back to School! Halleluiah, mamas! We've almost made it : )

I've been searching for a perfect pair of shoes to send Miss Paige back to school in style. I want something sneaker-like, but that she can also wear with dresses and skirts. I'm really loving the Mary Jane-type sneakers or something with some bling (what 4 year old doesn't love glitter?!). Lucky for me, Famous Footwear has an awesome selection of kids shoes (and adult shoes, of course!) from the top brands. Here's the ones I'm choosing from for Miss Paige:

http://www.famousfootwear.com/en-US/Product/63209-5234693/Skechers/Black_Multi/Kids+Bikers-Peace+Dancer+Flat+Pre_Grade+School.aspx

http://www.famousfootwear.com/en-US/Product/63210-5234693/Skechers/Neon+Pink_Orange/Kids+Bikers-Peace+Dancer+Flat+Pre_Grade+School.aspx

http://www.famousfootwear.com/en-US/Product/62059-5210108/Skechers/Gold_Gold_Pink/Kids+Sweet+Steps+Sneaker+Toddler_Preschool.aspx
 

http://www.famousfootwear.com/en-US/Product/95542-1029305/Puma/White_Pink/Kids+Tallula+Glam.aspx

A special Shout Out for Atlanta -Area Mamas!
Famous Footwear has opened a new store in Suwanee, Georgia, marking its 16^th location in the Atlanta market. The 6,000-square-foot store opened on July 23. The new store is located in the John’s Creek Town Center at 3630 Peachtree Parkway.


More Info About Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear is a leading, easy-to-shop footwear destination, featuring brand name merchandise for women, men and children, making it a one-stop-shop for the entire family. Shoppers can access Famous Footwear’s loyalty Rewards program and vast style selection in-store to meet their family’s footwear needs.
 
Famous Footwear recently launched their new mobile app which gives Rewards members 15 bonus points just for downloading, makes redeeming Rewards points even easier and gives shoppers access to exclusive mobile offers. The Famous Footwear app is available for download today on Google Play and iTunes or simply by texting APP to FAMOUS (326687) to get a mobile link.
 
Famous Footwear has more than 1,100 stores nationwide as well as an e-commerce site, Famous.com. The chain offers consumers more than 100 nationally recognized brands through its retail stores and website, including Nike, Vans, Converse, Sperry, Skechers, Naturalizer, Steve Madden, madden girl, Franco Sarto, adidas, New Balance, Roxy, Circus by Sam Edelman and Carlos by Carlos Santana. Famous Footwear is also a proud national partner of the March of Dimes.