10 Ways to Boost Your Kid's Health

Here are 10 simple ways to keep your kid's healthy this winter!

A child averages 6-8 viruses a year. I don't know about you but that sounds like an awful lot of time blowing noses, catching barf, checking temperatures and worrying. Are all those viruses really necessary? Or Normal?

I'm going to share with you 10 simple ways you can boost your kid's health for this winter.

1. Reduce the Sugar! Eating sugar can suppress the immune system for up to 5 hours!  Think how many times our kids eat sugar. I bet they hardly go a single meal without it, sugar hides in almost everything. Breakfast cereals, popular yogurt brands and "healthy" juices are all full of sugar.

2. Exercise! When winter rolls around, temperatures drop and so does play time for most kids. Not only does exercise burn off extra calories but it strengthens the lungs and cleans out the lymphatic system which is a huge part of the immune system. Lymph nodes need drained on a regular basis, they depend on movement to drain so when you sit, they sit.

3. Probiotics! It's estimated that 80% of your immune system is located in the gut. Gut bacteria can make a world of difference in your health. "Friendly bacteria train your immune system to distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to respond appropriately".

4. Vitamin D3 A study done in 2009 report in the journal Pediatric Research stated that infants and children appear more susceptible to viral rather than bacterial infections when deficient in vitamin D. It's hard to get adequate sunshine in the winter months which decreases the natural vitamin D your body makes. Simply adding in vitamin D will give you a fighting chance against viruses this year.

5. Early Bedtime! Kids that get 8 or more hours of sleep a night have fewer viruses through out the year, less absence from school and better grades. Set a regular weekly bedtime and don't slack on it. Kids need rest so their little bodies can reboot for the next day.

6. Time Management! You may be thinking, "what does this have to do with my kids health"? Well stress greatly effects the immune system, switching on the fight or flight response in our bodies. Kids all deal with stress differently and little things can stress kids out. Having a crammed schedule for example, always running late, arguments at home, and bully's at school all wear on a kid's immune system.

7. Reduce Grains! A large amount of grains is hard on the digestive system and for some children it can cause an autoimmune reaction. This causes inflammation throughout the body. I would rather have my child's immune system triggered by a virus rather than a meal of junk food.

8. Essential Oils! We use essential oils for almost everything at our house. At the first sign of a sniffle we have a diffuser going with Thieves oil for example. We also place essential oils on our kids feet around flu season.

9. Water! How often do your kids drink just water? Hopefully a lot! Water is essential to maintaining our health. Kid's bodies are sensitive to chemicals that come from sugary juices and sodas. A glass of water with every meal will ensure they are not getting dehydrated.

10. Your Words! This gets so overlooked as being a health benefit. Words of affirmation make a huge impact on your children. Teaching them they are strong and powerful, they are healthy and happy. Teaching them to be thankful and look for the good in life. It really does rewire their brains to think positive and believe for the best. Your thoughts eventually filter down to your actions so let's help our children think the best thoughts about themselves and others. Your kid's health depends on how you speak to them.