Everything I Do to Keep My Immune System Strong
A strong immune system keeps you resilient to whatever the day brings. Here’s everything I do to make my immune system resilient.
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I learned a few things about immune health when my son Grant was in the hospital after being struck down by a hit-and-run driver while he was out walking, and was left for dead in the street.
When this accident happened, I was in the middle of a massive launch of The Virgin Diet.
Getting sick was not an option. Even the slightest sniffle meant that I wouldn’t be able to see Grant, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. I knew that I needed massive energy and focus in order to be there for Grant and get The Virgin Diet off the ground.
In other words, things like great sleep, consistent exercise, and healthy food were absolutely critical. I was absolutely not going to compromise there.
Last year taught me again how important immune health is.
While a strong immune system isn’t a guaranteed pass that you won’t be infected with whatever virus is raging, you can feel confident knowing that your body has the correct resources to protect you.
During the pandemic, many readers and colleagues asked me how I kept a strong immune system. I juggle two businesses with a wonderful family. Numerous work and life demands mean that I can’t afford to take a sick day.
None of us is invulnerable to getting sick, but we have plenty of ways to keep infections at bay so that we can consistently perform at a high level with work, relationships, and family.
I’ve “built in” immune protection throughout my day. With that in mind, here’s what an average day looks like for me. Of course, when you make immune health a priority, other things fall into place too: You reduce your risk of disease, lower inflammation, support a healthy gut, and become the best fat burner.
Start Your Day on the Right Foot
Many people wake up and immediately flip on the TV. Or they reach for their smartphone or laptop.
What you do first thing in the morning sets your entire day’s tone. As Brendon Burchard, a mentor of mine, once said, when you check your email first thing in the morning, you’re allowing someone else to dictate your morning.
Suffice it to say that checking emails or tuning in to the doom-and-gloom news cycle is not the way to start your day!
How you start your day should be a personal decision. Some people do prayer, meditation, or some kind of movement like yoga. I always start with my gratitude journal, which has enormous health benefits.
“The practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life,” says Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis and a leading scientific expert on the science of gratitude.
Among its many benefits, Emmons notes that gratitude can improve immune function, create more efficient sleep, and help with mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Plus, grateful people are more likely to eat healthily and exercise. (1)
While all of these benefits are great, I find gratitude is also a deeply satisfying thing to do that creates a strong, resilient foundation for my entire day.
I’ll typically start the day by writing down three to five things I’m grateful for. Sometimes, I’ll send a gratitude text or email if someone special pops into my mind. It’s a really uplifting way to start the day. The entire process only takes a few minutes, but its benefits repay me through my entire day.
Get a Pre-Workout Jolt
I fit in my workout first thing in the morning, before the day’s craziness kicks in. Plus, I feel more energized after an intense workout.
Typically, you’ll find me doing some combination of burst training and weight resistance. I prefer intense, full-body workouts that usually take 30 minutes or so.
I’ve learned that most people work out best fasted. (I’ll talk more about my overnight fast in a minute.) Even with a great night’s sleep, you might feel groggy or laggy first thing in the morning.
That’s why I have a morning cup of coffee before I burst or hit the weights. I only use mycotoxin-free coffee beans, and I like to combine half-regular with half-caffeine. Many times, I’ll toss in some MCT oil, which is like high-octane fuel for your workout!
Great sleep for immune health (and so much more) doesn’t just happen. You need to prepare for it. My Best Rest Sleep Cheat Sheet gives you my top tips to get consistently stellar sleep… every single night. Get yours FREE here.
Break Your Fast with a Smoothie
For decades, I’ve started my day with a protein smoothie. Fast, filling, and fat-burning, you can load your smoothie with all kinds of amazing immune-boosting ingredients. Get the scoop on my favorite immune-boosting smoothie in this mindbodygreen blog.
Even the best of us can get into a rut sometimes with recipes, which is why I created this Smoothie Guide. You’ll find over 50 delicious recipes, packed with immune-boosting ingredients. Get yours free here.
Drinking Green Tea Throughout the Day
I stay hydrated throughout the day, mostly with filtered water. I’ll infuse water with lemon or lime, which gives water a “spa” flavor that I love. Filtered water helps remove the nasty toxins that can become a whammy against your immune system.
I also sip green tea. Studies show that green tea and its active ingredient, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), can benefit several types of immune cells in both the innate and adaptive immune systems. (2)
Overall, I drink 32 ounces of green tea daily. In warm Florida, I prefer it iced, sweetened with JJ Virgin Sprinkles™, but you can also enjoy it hot.
Green tea has a calming amino acid, L-theanine, which seems to balance out the small amount of caffeine. But if you’re especially sensitive, opt for decaffeinated green tea.
Have a Healthy Lunch
Honestly, some days I’m so busy that I do a second smoothie for lunch. Whipping one up takes maybe three minutes, but keeps me full and focused all afternoon.
Sometimes, though, I’ll have a big salad for lunch, which is also easy to prepare. Salads can be a slippery slope. The wrong ingredients can hijack fat loss and crash your immune system. I’m talking about things like candied walnuts, dried cranberries, and high Sugar Impact dressings.
Of course, you want to build your salad right, and this guide will help you avoid food intolerances and other salad crashers.
Manage Stress
I’ve learned just how critical stress management is for mental, emotional, and physical health.
Trust me, I’m familiar with how one little thing can throw off your entire morning or afternoon. As I’ve long said, don’t ask for things to be easier. Make yourself stronger!
One review of over 300 articles spanning three decades found that while acute stressors (lasting minutes) can strengthen the immune system, chronic stress had the opposite effects. (3)
If you’ve ever had a super-hectic week at work or with a family situation and subsequently got sick, you know what I’m talking about.
Stress management begins with many things I’ve discussed here: Things like great sleep, regular exercise, and eating by the Plate.
If you’re not dialing in those foundational principles, no supplement or stress management technique is going to alleviate your stress.
That said, a few anti-stressors that I find helpful include:
- Deep breathing. There are a lot of versions of this. I breathe in counting to five, hold that breath five seconds, and then exhale for five seconds. One breath can do wonders for your mental and physical health.
- EFT. Emotional freedom technique (EFT), also called tapping, is a simple, effective practice that you can do anywhere. Among its many benefits, tapping regularly may create significant declines in the stress hormone cortisol. (4) In this podcast, I talk to Nicolas Ortner, CEO of The Tapping Solution, to discuss how to use tapping to lower stress and anxiety.
- Magnesium Body Calm. Magnesium has long been the aaah mineral for me. Whether I’m in a stressful business meeting, have a tension headache, or my mind is racing before bed, I find taking 300 mg of Magnesium Body Calm calms me down significantly.
Eat Dinner by the Plate
After a busy day working, I love having a relaxing dinner with my husband. Sometimes I’ll invite nearby friends over. Regardless of who’s there, I always eat by the Plate.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how simple this can be. Every meal contains:
- Clean, lean protein
- Healthy fats
- High-fiber, low-glycemic carbs
- Non-starchy vegetables
That magic trifecta — nutrient-dense foods that contain protein, healthy fats, and fiber — can give your immune system a real boost.
Take protein, which helps build antibodies that fight infections. Ditto with healthy fats like oleic acid, the predominant fatty acid in foods like extra-virgin olive oil. Studies show that this anti-inflammatory fatty acid may play a role in activating pathways for immune cells. (5)
Besides, you need healthy fats to properly absorb the fat-soluble (and immune-boosting) vitamins A, D, E, and K.
The Plate is so versatile, so my family and I never get bored. We can be adventurous and try a new veggie every night, and often we do. But if you challenged me to pick my favorite Plate, this is what it would look like:
Grass-fed beef fillet
½ sweet potato
Asparagus, lightly sautéed with olive oil
Garlic and sea salt
Close Up the Kitchen for the Evening
One pattern I’ve noticed among clients is that most of their “trouble eating” occurs after dinner.
You probably know the drill: You’re relaxing after a busy day, watching Seinfeld reruns, when suddenly you remember that half-eaten pint of ice cream in the freezer. You tell yourself just one bite… And, well, you know the rest of that story.
Studies confirm this.
In one, researchers learned that Japanese women who ate a late dinner or snacked before bed were more likely to skip breakfast, plus they had a higher probability of being overweight or obese. (6)
Make this easy for yourself! Enjoy a nice dinner and then close up the kitchen for the evening. That way, you’ll effortlessly create a 12–14 hour overnight fast. I say effortlessly because about eight or nine hours of that time, you’ll be sleeping.
Keep Great Sleep Hygiene
After a busy day, your mind is probably racing and you may be focused on what you need to do the following day. You’re wired and tired.
Great sleep doesn’t just happen. You have to prepare for it. One thing you’ll want to do is identify things that compromise your sleep. If you’re a slow metabolizer with caffeine and have a mid-afternoon cup of coffee, that caffeine will still be in your system at bedtime.
And alcohol… Well, that glass of pinot noir may help you fall asleep, but alcohol disrupts sleep patterns in a big way.
Along with identifying these obstacles, keeping a solid wind-down routine is key for fantastic sleep. Mine includes a hot bath, some chamomile tea, a good (but not great) novel, and maybe some deep breathing or meditation.
Find out what works for you and make it a habit. Whatever that entails, turn off electronics an hour or two before bedtime. I know… They’re everywhere these days, but the blue light from screens can interfere with sleep.
If you have trouble falling or staying asleep, try Sleep Candy™. This unique formula combines immune-boosting melatonin with other calming nutrients like L-theanine and inositol.
I enjoy two tablets about 30–60 minutes before bedtime (it tastes delicious!), and I drift off into immune-boosting, replenishing, restorative sleep. *
One Final Thing…
Like many people, I’ve found myself staying on the news more often over the last year and a half. Most of what we read and hear is fear-based, designed to garner clicks and keep us in an addictive news cycle.
Living in the midst of a pandemic is scary, but you don’t need to let that fear control your life. Fear creates stress, and as I mentioned before, any type of stress will compromise the immune system.
My Facebook Lifestyle Community is a wonderful place to find support, get encouragement, and express what’s on your mind. If you’re not a member, I hope you’ll come over and join us here!
Trouble falling or staying asleep? It happens to us all. My Best Rest Sleep Cheat Sheet gives you my top tips to get consistently stellar sleep… every single night. Get yours FREE here.
Before you go…
If you enjoyed this article, click the clap button below… And share it with friends, so they can enjoy it too! I really appreciate you, my loyal readers.
The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. The information here is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or condition. Statements contained here have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
*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.
References
- https://health.ucdavis.edu/medicalcenter/features/2015-2016/11/20151125_gratitude.html
- Pae M, Wu D. Immunomodulating effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea: mechanisms and applications. Food Funct. 2013 Sep;4(9):1287–303. doi: 10.1039/c3fo60076a. PMID: 23835657.
- Segerstrom SC, Miller GE. Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychol Bull. 2004 Jul;130(4):601–30. doi: 10.1037/0033–2909.130.4.601. PMID: 15250815; PMCID: PMC1361287.
- Bach D, Groesbeck G, Stapleton P, Sims R, Blickheuser K, Church D. Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Improves Multiple Physiological Markers of Health. J Evid Based Integr Med. 2019 Jan-Dec;24:2515690X18823691. doi: 10.1177/2515690X18823691. PMID: 30777453; PMCID: PMC6381429.
- Carrillo C, Cavia Mdel M, Alonso-Torre S. Role of oleic acid in immune system; mechanism of action; a review. Nutr Hosp. 2012 Jul-Aug;27(4):978–90. doi: 10.3305/nh.2012.27.4.5783. PMID: 23165533.
- Okada C, Imano H, Muraki I, Yamada K, Iso H. The Association of Having a Late Dinner or Bedtime Snack and Skipping Breakfast with Overweight in Japanese Women. J Obes. 2019 Mar 3;2019:2439571. doi: 10.1155/2019/2439571. PMID: 30944735; PMCID: PMC6421799.
