Mom, pharmacist and healthy living expert Dr. Lisa Leslie-Williams explains how she helps her own family stay healthier this time of year.

By Dr. Lisa Leslie-Williams

Moms, you can’t supervise your kids 24/7. That includes monitoring what they swallow, touch and breathe. Because I’m juggling a busy career with being a homeschooling mom, I’ve been teaching my kids how to stay well. They are learning that it’s easier to be proactive rather than reactive.

Now that it’s cold and cough season and we’re all headed indoors, I’m sharing some tips for empowering other families to take control over their immune health. There are many things we can be doing year round to support our immune health, not just during winter.

Write a health and wellness prescription for your family

Grab a white board and post your wellness prescription on the refrigerator or in another high-traffic area where everyone will see it daily. Some things to include on your list are:

  1. Everyone should use their own utensils and water bottles. Help children learn to keep their germs to themselves by labeling their water bottles so there is no confusion.
  2. Wash your hands. No splash and dash allowed!” stresses Leslie-Williams. “While some moms teach their kids to sing the ABC or birthday song, instead try putting on some great music and have a fun time.
  3. Juice up your immune system. Black elderberries provide natural support for the immune system, and can be enjoyed for year-round immune maintenance. But choose the variety that is backed by science. If you buy homemade elderberry tea or jam, it might help someone with their business but you won’t get the same powerful immune support. Sambucol black elderberry comes in multiple forms that will please everyone in the family, from syrup and a drink powder to capsules, pastilles and gummies.
  4. Moisten your indoor air. Dry winter air can crack the skin in our nasal passages, easily enabling viruses and germs to enter the body and make us sick. Buy a humidifier to keep your indoor spaces moist. Be sure to clean it every five to seven days so it doesn’t grow bacteria.
  5. Follow the cleaning or changing schedule on your air filters packaging. Also, have your HVAC professionally cleaned at least twice a year to maintain good indoor air quality.

Moms, you also need some self care

Moms, self-care is not getting your nails done or treating yourself to a double-scoop ice cream sundae. Self-care is the foundation for the things that will help us thrive, and help our bodies do what we intended to do. Treat your body the way it should be treated! That means prioritizing rest, good nutrition and exercise. Also, don’t skip your health screenings. Stay on top of your health and be a good role model for your family.

By following this health and wellness prescription, you are instilling good habits in your children that will serve them throughout their lives. Plus, when you feel well, you experience more out of life.

Once a practicing pharmacist, Dr. Lisa is now writing prescriptions for healthy and whole living one post at a time. As the founder of The Domestic Life Stylist, a health and wellness blog, Dr. Lisa is a respected naturopathic healthy living expert, speaker, wellness blogger, Oprah Magazine Ambassador (O MagInsider) and media spokesperson.