As we all hunker down, self-quarantine, and practice social distancing, experts agree we must also be focused on our personal well-being and take important steps to ensure we stay positive and centered on self-care.
We talked to Kathryn Trestain, a dedicated educator who focuses on health and wellness, as part of our Expert Connexions series to learn some simple things people can do to maintain health and not get too overwhelmed with how the Coronavirus is impacting the world.
Kathryn offered these practical, simple things to keep our immune system and therefore our whole bodies strong:
Eat clean food including frozen fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats and other healthy fats and bone broth.
Drink nourishing infusions, which includes seeping dried herbs in boiled water for four to 10 hours. She recommends NingXia Red from Young Living.
Cut out sugar.
Add supplements like whole food vitamin C, D3, a probiotic.
“Let’s not be reactive, public safety and health are absolutely paramount at this time, but mindset is paramount too,” she said.
For more great tips and information, watch our Facebook Live conversation.
Health & Wellness Video Transcript:
Julie: I am the founder and principal strategist of mConnexions marketing agency and we are starting a series today this is our second in the series called expert connections. We are reaching out to the experts that are a part of our community that are part of our client base and we are featuring their stories and their insights right here on Facebook as we all deal with coronavirus or COVID-19. So as we face these changes and challenges ahead with coronavirus. We are reaching out to the experts in our community now a few hours ago we talked with a professional biohazard cleaning expert about what his team is dealing with right now to help especially for high-traffic businesses. Things like schools and banks and homes now we’re gonna turn our attention to health and wellness and joining me today joining us to talk about health and wellness is Kathryn Trestain, a former correspondent who traveled the globe lived around the world always with a passion for health care. Now Katherine is a health and wellness coach. Katherine thank you so much for joining us and taking some time out of your day.
Kathryn: Oh thank you for having me Julie. Good afternoon everybody.
Julie: So we are all hunkered down in our homes we are we are in this together as we like to say Katherine and you and I have been having a lot of conversations about health and wellness. Everything from our physical well-being and the concerns that we have for our families, but also our mental health and our mental well-being and so I’m so glad that you agreed to share your expertise with our community so we can talk about some of these things today. For those of you at home if you are feeling a little overwhelmed a little unsure a lot of mixed messages out there on what we should be doing or shouldn’t be doing and so Katherine is joining us to kind of break some of this down today and Katherine I want to start with some practical things to do to stay well. What are some of your go-to tips for those of us who are trying to figure all of this out?
Kathryn: Absolutely and I think you said something that’s really key and that’s like let’s not be reactive. You know public safety and health are absolutely paramount at this time, but mindset is paramount to you in a bit during these uncertain times but one thing that just to stay well is even clean food. I know a lot of people are running to the stores to get provisions and let’s think about what kinds of foods that we want to put in our body we’re kind of nourishing foods during this time right to keep us above the Wellness line. So junk food is out like that’s not even an option during these times. Sugar or all those things I wouldn’t even have those on my radar.
Julie: Kathryn because I think we turn to comfort food right?
Kathryn: Yes. So whether it’s us or for our kids you know the pop that the chips the popcorn but you’re totally right we have to look at our like what we’re nourishing our bodies with because we need our immune systems to stay strong. Absolutely yes and high carb comfort foods that right that is that’s kind of our go-to when we’re afraid right we just they make us feel better in the short term and for you know it’s momentary but to keep our immune systems really strong we want to eat really clean food and I would I’m thinking you know when you go to the store maybe two to three weeks of provisions things like frozen fruits and vegetables you know that that will keep for you. Grass-fed butter, coconut oil, you want to have a lot of healthy fats in your diet. Avocados would be really great. Nourishing! We want to think about nourishing the body so nourishing bone broths. Whether you buy organic bone broth from cattle and fire or whether you just have it going in your instant pot or crock pot going all the time. Let’s see grass-fed meats whoops I dropped something, something grass-fed meats are really great. That’s another healthy fat wild-caught fish you just want to think about eating clean and they’re the farm if you are if you’re in the Michigan area there’s a farm on the western side of the states in Ravenna Michigan they actually do deliveries to Lansing once a month but it’s called Creswick farms and their meat is it out of this world and I know that you had long lines around their farm but you can go to Creswickfarms.com you can call Nathan. How does a farm in this state that I absolutely 1,000,000% put my stamp of approval on. I am doing– I’m drinking a lot of nourishing infusion so that means herbs that sit overnight and hot water and I’m also drinking this is a whole food supplement it’s called Ningxia red this comes from young living and out of Utah and you can get it in packets or you can get it in the bottle and it’s a whole food infused with four essential oils. All citrus oils which boosts your immune system and it’s the wolfberry it’s the Ningxia berry and it’s seed appeal and the pulp so this is a whole food supplement so those are just some of my books use as far as food and then don’t forget your pets don’t forget to you know to stock up on be for your pet and to get them maybe some omega threes for pets Nordic Naturals makes a great Omega for dogs and cats and that kind of boost their immune system during this time and if you if you are anything sharp I drink you can give this to your dogs and cats as well and horses and yeah all the animals.
Julie: Excellent and so what I’m hearing you say Katherine is obviously we really need to focus on our own health right now and keeping our immune system boosted. I love some of the examples of things that you gave, loved Creswick farms another favorite of ours from mConnexions and I see that Nathan is here and he just shared his page so definitely be sure to check that out and really the overall point here is take a look at what you’re putting into your bodies make sure that it’s healthy but it’s nourishing you that it’s helping you to stay well so that you can continue both physically and mentally to deal with what’s happening here. Kathryn you know I want to if you could bear with me here so you listed a lot of things that are just really wonderful things to nourish our bodies but if I’m someone who’s hearing this for the first time and this is sounding really drastic to me, what are some provisions that we actually need in our homes right now? So forget about the run on toilet paper we should all be fully stocked up on TP for a while, but what are some that we actually should be looking for so maybe just you know maybe three to five items that if you were to go to a store right now what would you recommend for our viewers? So non-food items like as far as supplements?
Kathryn: Yeah I like what you said about you — know what I mean we don’t want to overwhelm right so if you just think about maybe just cutting out the sugar. If you have access to Ningxia this would be a great thing to add to your diet but just think about meats, vegetables you know ease just go easy on yourself don’t try that you know change your entire kitchen in one day and just think you just no sugar right now. That’s amore huh you know as far as some supplements um vitamin C is always great to the immune system you know during this time of year whether October through March is a great time to take a whole food vitamin C so not something that’s synthetic not something that’s isolated because the body really can’t use that. The body knows what to do with ten thousand phytonutrients found in an apple the body knows what to do with whole food so there’s a lot of whole food vitamin C, D3 is great make sure you get a D3 with K2. I love Rosita cod liver oil that’s a whole food but that is so good for your immune system and a probiotic. I use these probiotics from young living any you know any good probiotic and then let me think one more thing I’m using a lot of antiviral oils right now I’m using a product called inner defense and I’ll just talk about the oils that are in it so it has thieves oil which Young Living is very famous for. It has things like oregano and lemongrass and those are all powerful antivirals. So when you know just think of those oils and they can do in the body so there’s five things that you can do right there.
Julie: Excellent and Kathryn we should mention you are a leader in Young Living and so it’s something that you recommend wholeheartedly you use it for your own health I use it for my health and so definitely these are some of the things that we’re incorporating into our conversation today in addition to the fruits and veggies and healthy meats and fats as you mentioned previously that we should be incorporating into our diets. I also want to talk now if we can switch gears just a little bit on how to detox our homes there’s a lot of concern right now about what we’re bringing home with us and we have this concept right now that we are hopefully all taking part in which is social distancing which is why you and I right now are not in the same room we are connecting virtually for this live chat so as we look at home cleaning and detox. Earlier today I want to mention that I’m just a couple hours ago I had another guest of ours on here PuroClean of mid-Michigan talking about the professional cleaning services they provide to large traffic areas like schools and financial institutions and grocery stores and nursing homes and so as we look at that, what are some of those takeaways for us in our own homes so that we can keep our own families safe? what do you recommend as far as a home detox and what should we be looking for to make sure that our detoxing is not toxic?
Kathryn: Yes, oh wow that is so I’m so happy that you asked about that because gosh there is so much poison right and personal care product and home cleaners and it is so important that we are cleaning with something that is potent but that is also not toxic for our body and that’s going to compromise our immune system young livings. We are famous for thieves which I just talked about the thief’s oil but we’ve got a hold thieves hit and we’re actually offering a sale $25 off on our theme starter-kit are thieves home cleaning care right now so it’s not something that interests you can you know just comment in the links below or shoot me a message, shoot Julie a message but I do think that is really important. Whether you’re getting it from young living whether you’re doing some kind of DIY at home maybe making your own cleaner but that you’re not that you’re not adding to your body burden by using these toxic chemicals.
Julie: Absolutely and you mentioned Young Living and so and I know young living like many companies out there have stepped up production in order to keep up with the stock and keep up with the supply and demand you know Kathryn you had mentioned to me in conversation um several weeks ago about the thieves supply in China and at one point Hong Kong you — I’m gonna let you say it because I’m gonna say it wrong but Hong Kong Hong Kong had sold out of these?
Kathryn: Hong Kong completely sold out of thieves, Europe sold out of thieves the u.s. sold out yesterday and they ramped up production so thieves should be back tomorrow morning. We went through 90,000 bottles of these in the US alone yesterday so these just flew off the shelves this is a hand sanitizer if this has purifier fire but we’ve gotten we’ve gotten approval from the FDA and the FTC not to call it a hand sanitizer and to actually refer to it as an over-the-counter that kills 99.9% of bacteria germs all the things. So the late that’s not on this label, but the new bottles will have that and I think one of the things to remember when you’re using essential oil based cleaner wherever you get them from and of course I recommend ours because they are the purest oils on the face of the earth but you’re also okay so you’re getting the cleaning power but you’re also getting the power of those oils and leaves especially I love that when I clean with the thieves cleaning line whether it be the dish soap or the laundry so for the foaming hand soap I love that I get these immune boosting beneficial molecules in my body that are actually they’re not only not hurting me but they’re actually helping me and they’re beneficial for my immune system and so I mean what a relief and I’m yeah that really makes me happy and I know as an auntie and then I know as a mama I know that makes her happy.
Julie: Absolutely oh I had I had the little ones over this weekend and I can tell you the youngest who’s three was having some tummy aches on top of everything else going on and whether it was anxiety or otherwise tummy Jack’s was our go-to to keep her up and moving this weekend so. I want to talk about some of these oils in particular in a minute because you are you do focus on holistic health and so that is your area main area one of your main areas of expertise before we do though we have a comment from Nathan who says everyone’s anxiety is drawing down on their ability to resist illness. there’s the comment right there and so Katherine if you don’t mind I want it I want to mention I want to talk about that just very briefly if that’s okay because you know we’re talking about things to keep our bodies healthy physically we’re talking about things to keep our homes healthy but also there’s a lot going on right now as far as the emotional support that we need and even I think the strongest of us still are faced with a lot of uncertainty a lot of questions whether that be financial questions, concerns are about businesses, so what are some of your go-to’s when it comes to dealing with anxiety as Nathan Hazmat has mentioned here.
Kathryn: Thank you for that question Nathan that is a great question I do heavily draw on oils. I’ve been muscle testing pretty high for harmony and common sense. I use oils like valor for courage joy and then also next um you know what raise our vibration let’s really be aware that we’re and consciously decide to not dwell on the fear so I’m doing things like I’m turning on my phone, I’m turning off my router at night, I’m kind of down shifting to a healing state and I’m refusing to let the cultural land escapes sort of pull me into this you know that lead me down this sort of path of fear. Virus is absolutely contagious but let’s remember that fear is contagious but so is love peace, Joy, kindness, happiness those things are contagious too and we can overcome fear we can overcome panic we can overcome anxiety with gratitude. I love and you know what Julie gratitude and Nathan gratitude and fear cannot even coexist at the same time in the brain so I will wake up in the morning I do this quite often throughout the day but I do I go through you know all the things I’m grateful for I at least try to do ten things I’m grateful for in the morning and at night but one thing that’s really been working so well for me is when I get into a state of panic I do this what I call a gratitude rampage I just I’m just you know maybe for a minute or so I’m just like wow I am thankful for that light, I’m thankful for my eyes, that I can see, I’m thankful for my nose that I can smell, I’m so thankful for Julie, thankful for my friend Nathan I’m thankful you know — I’m so thankful for the oils and I just keep going on and on until I can actually feel a mindset shift and boy that has been monumental me.
Julie: I love you’re saying Kathryn about what’s contagious. I mean that is amazing so hope is contagious, joy is contagious, love is contagious, smiles are contagious. I love that so much what a great reminder and that is.
Kathryn: It’s so true right and I have these affirmation cards that I use also so I’ll do my gratitude and then we’ll use affirmation parts and today the card that I pulled actually I pulled a couple of them but it was so ironic health is my power. I am healthy, I am energetic, I’m nourished and whole and the radiate excellent health. How beautiful is that? and speak that over ourselves and then the other card I pulled was a card about safety. I am safe, I am secure, I am protected. I think doing affirmations is really powerful and doing some sort of gratitude challenge our gratitude rampage every day but especially when you get into these tough emotional states it really helps and yes Joy is contagious, gratitude is contagious, and there’s an oil for that we have an oil called gratitude. This is a divine opportunity for us I think sort of to pull back and to you know remember the things that are most important to us. We do research shows we do become what we think about and if we dwell on the positive we will attract the positive and if we fell on the negative we are going to lower our frequency our vibration and that is exactly what we’re going to attract so let’s raise our vibrations and let’s consciously despite to have a positive mindset.
Julie: I love that message so much Kathryn and we’re gonna dive into that a little bit more later this week we’re gonna have psychotherapist and national public speaker Joyce Marter joining us later this week to talk more about some of these things that you’re talking about mindfulness and meditation and yoga and different practices to really help draw on our mental health and on our strengths right now. So I love that message Kathryn and you know I think this is really also a time for us to pull together in community now not physically not you know we’re gonna miss those hugs for a while we’re gonna miss those gatherings because we are again practicing social distancing and which is important right when you did we need to keep that top of mind but there are other ways for us to connect with each other and certainly connecting in communities like this connecting with experts like you who are sharing your insights I really appreciate you taking the time today if our viewers would like to connect with you to talk further about any of these topics, Kathryn what’s a good way for them to get a hold of you?
Kathryn: They can um they can comment they can comment right here right? I’ll put a link in the comment section and they can certainly get me a message through Facebook messenger.
Julie: Wonderful awesome thank you and before we go for in you know you also shared with me that you have some ways that you really focus on when it comes to your own health and so I always love to ask our coaches especially our you know our health and wellness coaches what do you do so I know what you advise you know other people to do what do you focus on like what’s your regimen for your own health right now during this challenging time.
Kathryn: Thank you for asking that. Actually all of the things that I spoke about here are the things that I’m doing in my own home so you know the healthy foods, I’ve been nourishing bone broth, the oils, Ningxia for sure, all the live long day hydration is key one thing that I have not been doing this week which I normally do is coffee so I’m a whooping caffeine that is really drying for the body. Antihistamines you don’t want to do that and I’ve been using two things that I didn’t talk about a neti pot because we really want to keep your sinuses moist you don’t want anything dry if you could have a humidifier going. I have diffusers going obviously with oils all over the house so that’s getting water into the air and I keep my bathtubs full with water so that that disperses water you know that keeps the house moist so that’s another thing that I’m doing and then I make a nose cell with a cream I’m using young livings Rose appointment and then put a couple of oils in there and I’ll put those I’ll just insert a little bit of that save or cream just in each nostril a few times a day just to make sure that I’m breathing in the oils and keeping those mucous membranes really moist and supported with the oils.
Julie: Such great advice and of course if you are new to oils or new to holistic healing of any sort certainly reach out and consult with someone who has information so you can do so safely. Kathryn Trestain would be a great person to connect to and she’s going to leave her contact information right here in this thread below this video so you can reach out to her at any time. Kathryn thank you so much this was really enlightening and also just really helpful to have some peace of mind and to have this advice and to have some key you know take away items that we can take and do starting right now in our own homes for our family so Catherine thank you so much for joining us today.
Kathryn: You are so welcome Julie it’s so great to see you virtually and stay safe stay warm and stay healthy.
Julie: Thank You Kathryn you too and for those of you watching join us all week long as we highlight services available to help as we make as we all make adjustments during this time we will offer a special Q&A series with expert business and business health and wellness. At 10:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow Stephanie Barnhill will join me live to talk about how to transition your business to running remotely. A lot of people are being thrown into this situation working from home sounds great until suddenly you’re doing it on the fly and suddenly you might have kiddos running around the house who you are maybe trying to home-school and maybe trying to work with and if you’re feeling unprepared we have got you covered tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. Our team at mConnexions has been working remotely for three years so we’ve learned some ups and a lot of downs on communication and how to make this work so we’re also going to share with you not just our thoughts but we’re gonna give you some tech platforms some tips and tricks when it comes to communication so you won’t want to miss that tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. All of you thank you for joining us. We have a full line of experts joining us all week long so stay tuned give our mConnexions page a like, follow our events, turn on notifications, so you stay in the know and we’ll have a new expert for you each day as part of our expert connexions series. Thank you all again for joining us and we will see you back here tomorrow morning.