Boost Your Immune System

     Fall is approching and with it comes cooler weather, leaves changing color and shorter days. I love Fall and I look forward to it all year long! But, Fall and Winter are usually the time when people get sick the most! The cold and flu seem to be every where and it never fails that my family and I get sick at least once (usually more than that) a season!
    

     Being sick doesn't have to become your reality! With just a few simple tips and facts, you can boost your immune system and stay well all year long! Instead of having a running nose, headache, cough or sore throat, you can enjoy all the lovely things Fall has to offer!

What Causes a Weak Immune System?

     There are many things that can lead to having a weak immune system, but there are a few basic culprits.
      Sugar competes with Vitamin C, which is good for the immune system. If you are consuming alot of sugar, than that can lead to a weaker immune system.

     Fatty Foods or having high cholesterol levels makes your immune cells lazy and inactive.

     Alcohol causes your immune cells to become disorientated and confused so they can't do their job!

     Lack of Sleep lowers your immune function. Your body needs at least 7 hours of sleep to maintain healthy immune functions.

    Other things like Under Eating, Stress, and Smoking can lead to having a weak immune system. If you have a weak immune system, you are going to get sick more often and alot easier!

     No one likes to be sick, and learning how to boost and strengthen your immune system will help you stay well and healthy all year long!

How Do You Boost Your Immune System?

     Simply staying healthy is one sure way to have a healthy immune system! There are a few specific ways to strengthen your immune system,and adding these things to your life can insure that your immune system is in tip-top shape!

Green Tea is richin many chemicals that have been shown to have health protective properties called phytochemicals! Drinking a cup or two a day can aid in boosting your immune system!

Echinacea is an herb known to aid the body in its fight against the cold and flu. Supplements of echinacea helps support the immune system and maintain the body's resistance to disease.

Eating your vegetables is very helpful in maintaining and boosting your immune system. One serving of vegetables contain over a hundred differnt phytochemicals!

Exercise has also been shown to help boost your immune system. Be careful, though, doing too much can tire your body out and make your immune system weak! Swimming, walking, running or biking for half and hour a day can be very beneficial in supporting a healthy immune system.

Medatation has been shown to boost energy levels and help the body cope with the stresses of the world around it. It is incorporated into cancer patient programmes in Germany and helps with the recovery process.

     These are just a few of the many ways to boost your immune system. Using these tips will help you strengthen and boost your immune system, so that you can stay healthy and well this Fall and Winter as well as the rest of the year!

     Taking care of your body not only helps you stay well and healthy, but also helps the people around you too! If you aren't sick, then you can't get anyone else sick! Having a healthy immune system is the key to not getting sick, even if the cold and flu are 'going around'!

I hope these tips help you stay well this Fall and Winter! Share them with your friends and family members to help them stay well too! Share this post so that more people can learn how to become the healthiet verison of themselves!

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Stay Healthy, Happy and Laughing!
H. Banana

Cold Weather, Warm Drinks!

  Now that is cold outside I want to have something warm to drink inside! I usually don't like anything that is too complicated or has a bunch of ingredients! Here are a few of my favorite warm drinks to have on those cold days!

#1. Hot Lemon Water. A lot of detoxes and cleanses that I have looked in to have suggested drinking hot lemon water every morning! I like to drink it in the morning and sometimes in the evening. To make it is simple: Just heat some water to boiling(Or just warm, depending on how hot you like your drink to be!) and add a few drops of lemon juice!

#2 Coffee! I love coffee, and if you read a previous post of mine (Your Body on Coffee) you will know that coffee has a lot of health benefits for us! I usually have a cup of coffee with a dash of cream in the morning and then maybe another cup in the afternoon or if I go walking outside I will have a cup. I rarely ever had decaf coffee just because I usually need the caffeine, so I have to make sure not to drink in right before bedtime! How do you like your coffee? What are some of your favorite coffee brands or shops? Let me know!

#3 Apple Cider! I like to drink this hot and cold! We have found an apple cider that doesn't have any added sugars(Which is a plus!) at Costco . I like to heat it in the microwave or have it cold. Spiced apple cider is also amazing, but I rarely have time to make it! Maybe I will have time over the holidays!

#4 Tea! Tea of any kind is great for warming you up on cold winter days! A few of my favorites are, any kind of Green Tea ( To learn more about Green Tea, see a previous post of mine!) Black teas, spiced and herbal teas. Too make it is simple, heat water to boiling and add a tea bag. You can also use lose leaf tea and a strainer. You can check out my Mom's blog( Tea in the Morning Too ) to learn more about tea as well as other things!

#6 Lattes! Lattes have a lot of milk in them and they are usually pretty sweet, but there are plenty of healthier recipes out there to try! I have made a Gingerbread Latte on my blog(See a previous post).

A few favorite flavors are, Gingerbread, Pumpkin, Peppermint, and Caramel. Let me know what flavor of Lattes you like and whether you prefer to make them yourself or get them at a shop!


Well those are just a few of my favorite hot holiday drinks. Let me know what is your favorite holiday drinks! I hope to get a few more holiday drink recipes up in the near future so be on a look out for those!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Ab Burning Workout

This is a workout that I made a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you! It is made to target mainly the abs but it also works several other body parts. I did it in about 30-40 minutes so its not a really long workout. I was sweaty when I finished, which to me, means it was a good workout!

Get ready to burn those abs!

100 Jumping Jacks
50 Crunches
50 Squats
25 Push-ups
15 Tricep Dips
20 Vertical Toe Touches
20 Bicycle Crunches
30 Genie Abs
100 Jumping Jacks
50 Sit-ups
50 Squats
25 Push-ups (or to change it up you can do V-Push-ups)
50 Plank Runs
40 sec. Side Plank (Per side)
5 Burpees
20 Plank Punches
40 Jumping Jacks
30 Crunches
20 Plié Squats
10 Push-ups
10 Leg Lifts
10 Lunges (Per Leg)
20 Leg Pulses
50 sec. Low Plank
Child's Pose
Downward Facing Dog
Ankle Holds
Deep Breaths.

   And that's the Ab Burning Workout! Just as a reminder, make sure that you are capable of doing all the exercises in this workout. I don't want anyone getting hurt! If you tried this workout, let me know what you thought! If you have any questions about the workout or a particular exercise in it, let me know in the comments below!

Keep Healthy and SAFE!
H.Banana

Get Ready for Ski/Snowboarding Season

Sure, it is still fall right now, but its never to early to start getting ready for the ski/snowboarding season. If you are planning to go to the slopes this year, or you just want to get in shape for winter, Listen Up!
My family and I are going on a ski trip this holiday season, and I don't want to come off the slopes sore, so I am going to start getting ready them now! I have been searching Pinterest for a while now, and I have found several workout and tips for getting ready for the ski/snowboarding season. Here are a few of them:

Yoga for Snowboarding

Exercises Every Snow Boarder Should Do

Get ready for the ski season

And lastly my favorite : Prepare for the winter ski season

I will be trying Snowboarding for the first time this year, and I'm super excited. Have you ever snowboarded? Which do you like better, snowboarding or skiing? Let me know!

I believe that its important to be in good shape for any sport to avoid injury and soreness. I hope that these workouts keep me from getting too sore, and help me preform better on the slopes! Sometimes I just do the exercises alone (Depends on which ones) and sometimes I pair them with a cardio session or something like that! Remember to have fun with it, Stay Safe and within you abilities, and that progress is progress no matter how small or big!

Keep it Healthy and Safe, and let me know if you found this post helpful!
H.Banana