Any athlete will tell you that when they're not feeling well they don't play their best. Duh, not an outrageous concept! That being said many athletes are social by nature, at a minimum hanging out with their coaches and/or teammates. So, how can you ensure that you're staying healthy when you're a social butterfly? Is immunity the only issue with our overall health?
First things first:
DIET. The foods we eat play a huge role in your immunity as well as how you feel overall. Have you ever heard that your health starts in your gut? Or your gut is like our second brain? It may sound bogus but, I promise, it's totally true.
LIMIT PROCESSED FOODS. These are the hurt your feelings category, or at least they are for me: bread, cereal, chips, crackers, cheese, bacon, sausage, lunch meat, etc. Many processed foods include salt or sugar to help with flavoring and extend their shelf life. That equals trouble for you. Salt causes your body to store extra water, which can in-turn raise your blood pressure. Sugar equals calories and causes glucose levels to ride a roller coaster, which can accelerate aging, lead to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
MORE FRUITS & VEGGIES. Vitamins A, C and E are a natural component to fruits and veggies, and are key when it comes to your immunity. We're recommended to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. You have to be careful here too though, you don't want your fruit intake to outweigh your vegetable intake. Plus sadly, our soil, especially here in the United States, has been depleted of many of the nutritional values. This makes it physically impossible to eat enough food to get your recommended dose of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Which leads me to the second thing:
SUPPLEMENTATION. Your body thrive on vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. Vitamin A, C and D, Zinc, Magnesium and fish oil are just a few that help to support a healthy immunity, your gut health and overall wellness. There are hundreds of supplements on the market today. The problem is that many of them are either low-end and not providing your body the proper dosing or high-end where they mega-dose you. Neither of those are good. It's important for your wallet and body health to pick a supplement that's designed to optimize your intake and is whole food form, so your body recognizes it and knows how to process it.
PRE & PROBIOTICS. There's helpful bacteria that lives in your gut. When you get sick and take medications like a antibiotic, it not only kills the icky things that are causing you to be sick, but it also kills off your good bacteria too. This puts you in a vicious cycle of having to take probiotics. Yes, there are foods that are good sources of natural probiotics; yougurt and fermented foods - kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, and even pickles, however you'd have to eat a ton of those types of food to do you any good in the probiotic arena. Pre-biotics aren't talked about as much, but they're equally important as they are dietary fiber that feed that helpful bacteria that lives in your gut. In case you were wondering, here are a few pre-biotic foods; garlic, onion, asparagus, and bananas. Again, you can't consume enough through food alone.
The third thing is where my passion lies:
NATURAL SOLUTIONS. As the owner of Wellness spOILed it's my job to help you understand how essential oils and other natural solution products powered by essential oils can help enhance and optimism your health. Aside from the products mentioned in the graphics below I want to share that there is an awesome solution if you're looking for a phenomenal supplement. doTERRA Lifelong Vitality® supplements are a whole food formula, full of essential nutrients, metabolism benefits, and powerful antioxidants designed to help promote energy, health and lifelong vitality. Remember how I said most supplements either overdose or under-dose you with what you need? Well, doTERRA hits the sweet spot - within optimal range, with all that it provides your body to ensure your body is operating at it's peak and really boost your athletic performance naturally.
pictured: Healthy Habits Kit with Lifelong Vitality Supplements and PB Assist+
Likewise, they've developed a probiotic that's super special. One that doesn't have to be refrigerated and offers a unique, safe, and effective way to deliver the well-recognized digestive and immune system support benefits of probiotics.* What takes it beyond normal is the built in pre-biotic. Yep, doTERRA PB Assist®+ is a proprietary formula of pre-biotic fiber and six strains of probiotic microorganisms in a unique doublelayer vegetable capsule. It delivers 6 billion CFUs of active probiotic cultures and soluble pre-biotic FOS (fructooligosaccharides) that encourage friendly bacterial growth.* The time-release, double-capsule delivery system is designed to help protect the sensitive probiotic cultures from stomach acid. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Below you will find the top essential oils and a products that I recommend. These were specifically curated with the athlete in mind, to help support your athletic body through the punishment and glory it endures. This is not the end all be all to support you, but it's a great start for what works best for the majority.
Think of me as your wellness coach. The ultimate key here is to take in what you've learned and implement it. Taking small steps daily will help you build a routine and reach your goals. I'm here to help guide and "coach" you along the way so you'll have confidence in bringing these natural solutions into your home, routine and body. If you are ready to take the next step and begin your wellness journey with me, let's chat soon! I'll offer you a complementary initial 30 minute wellness consultation, where we'll discuss your health goals, existing ailments (pain, stress, specific diagnosis, etc.) and I'll provide you with recommendations and a protocol to start. Once you've received your products we take a deeper dive into how you will incorporate them into your daily routine and we'll map out a 30, 60 and 90 day plan to let those new protocols develop into habits. 
xoDanette