Tips For Staying Healthy Over Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day marks the first weekend of the year that many Americans attend social gatherings. Many of these events are outdoors due to the nice weather where it’s easier to practice social distancing.

However, if you’re spending the weekend on a boat or under a tent at a family barbeque, it can be hard to safely keep your distance.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to best protect yourself against COVID-19 if you are gathering with friends and families during the Memorial Day holiday.

Our experts also weigh in on the best tips for boosting your immune health and how to practice social distancing in tight spaces.

How To Practice Social Distancing During Memorial Day

If you avoided indoor social gatherings all year and you’re ready to get together with friends and families for Memorial Day, you may still want to practice social distancing.

Luckily, many events over the Memorial Day weekend are outdoors. This gives you better access to fresh air without being confined to indoor spaces where COVID-19 tends to spread easier.

Here are some tips to help you keep your distance:

Wear a mask

Wearing a mask may help protect you from getting sick, especially when combined with social distancing. It also sends a clear message that you are practicing social distancing this Memorial Day weekend and would like to make your health a priority.

Don’t share items

It’s a good idea to bring your own items from home to prevent exposure if you plan to socially distance this Memorial Day. This includes bringing your own food containers, pool or lake items, blankets, sunscreen, toys for the kids, chairs, and more.

Bring alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you

If you plan to spend the holiday outdoors, you may not have access to a sink to wash your hands often. In these situations, sanitizing your hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer often can help. Research shows that alcohol-based sanitizers are the most effective.

Stay six feet apart

For social distancing to be most effective, it’s best to follow the six-foot rule. This also applies if you’ll be on a boat. Make sure there is enough distance between you and others that you don’t live or work with regularly.

Ask to remain outdoors

If you’re attending a Memorial Day party at someone’s house, then ask to stay outdoors as much as possible. You can sit outside on the deck or offer to help with the outdoor grilling.

This is a good way to control the amount of space you put between yourself and other people. It tends to be harder to socially distance indoors where space is smaller and surfaces may be contaminated.

Skip the parade

Although it’s outdoors, a Memorial Day parade can get crowded, making it hard to keep your distance from strangers. You may want to consider skipping the parade this year or taking a seat in the back away from the crowd.

How To Support Your Immunity During Memorial Day

There are several things you can do to support your immunity besides practicing social distancing. This includes taking immune-boosting supplements and eating foods that may support your immune health.

Best immune-boosting supplements

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, a balance of yin and yang, with sufficient qi is important. Herbs or remedies that aim to supplement the deficiencies in the individual’s body will help to build a stronger immune system.

For example, if a person is diagnosed with low qi, resulting in often feeling tired and catching colds, remedies that boost their qi will help. If they are diagnosed to be deficient in yin, resulting in frequent dryness and sore throats, remedies that boost the yin will help.

TCM products like ginseng and cordyceps are frequently used to strengthen immunity. Herbs such as American Ginseng are generally mild and tonifies both qi and yin in a body, and are hence popularly used as immunity boosters.

For better results, patients should consult a TCM physician to properly understand their body constitution. This will help you know what remedies, diet, and lifestyle habits are best to strengthen their immune system. 

Best immune-boosting foods

TCM believes that diet affects a person’s body and thus health. Hence, a healthy digestive system and good internal health are important for us to be able to absorb nutrients and supplements.

A healthy digestive system with all the “organ systems” in the body working in harmony will aid nutrient absorption. The reasons for a weakened digestive system in TCM are multifactored. For example, Liver system qi is stagnated or Spleen and Stomach systems are too Cold. Therefore, a diagnosis is still required to obtain the best understanding of food suitable for such individuals. 

For general purposes, food such as Chinese yam and lotus seeds are on the milder side and good in soups or porridges to maintain a healthy digestive system. You can also improve digestive health by taking a probiotic supplement.

Additionally, research shows that fiber may be more effective than probiotics at boosting immunity. Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet can help. Some people find it easier to take a fiber supplement to meet their daily requirements.

Tips For Keeping Your Kids Healthy On Memorial Day

According to TCM, the occurrence of the common cold is related to the body’s vital energy. Children with a weak immune system are prone to recurring colds, fevers, coughs, and a running nose.

A weak immune system is mainly related to the Spleen and Stomach. As such, to enhance immunity, Chinese medicine first starts with conditioning the Spleen and Stomach.

Before heading out on Memorial Day weekend, make sure that your kids have a balanced diet so that their Spleen and Stomach can be regulated. However, they should not overeat or take too many supplements.

As the saying goes, if you want children to be healthy, you should have a moderate feeding concept of “three-tenth of hunger.” This is to avoid causing Gastrointestinal Stagnation, as children with Gastrointestinal Stagnation are also prone to fever.

Besides that, excessive consumption of cold drinks can impair the Spleen and Stomach and affect Lung function. Excessive amounts of raw and cold foods will also deplete the body’s energy, causing the body to become cold and weak.

After a fun weekend out, make sure your kids are put to bed early so they get proper rest. Lack of sleep may negatively impact immune function. Adults, too, can benefit from getting proper rest after an eventful Memorial Day weekend. Remember that by planning ahead and arriving prepared, you can enjoy a safe and healthy holiday.