People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, benefit from better sleep, express more compassion in every day life and are less focused on others.

But I bet you didn’t know that you can increase Immunity and lower your risk of cancer with gratitude! Yep! Just by beginning a gratitude practice your entire life and health levels can improve!

Gratitude is a popular word that’s thrown around often. I look at gratitude as more of a practice than a habit. What many people aren’t aware of is the many health benefits that gratitude p

lays in our lives.

The effect that gratitude has on our overall well-being

Do you ever feel overwhelmed, negative or stressed? This can certainly be health related or it can be the fact that you aren’t appreciating where you are here and now.

In order to balance out this natural tendency, we can adopt a practice of gratitude. Just like this article says by Harvard Health, practicing gratitude really does make us happier!

Gratitude is Good Medicine!

Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects on a person’s health and life. A few of these health benefits are

1. Gratitude can lower blood pressure

2. Gratitude improves immune function

3. Grateful people are motivated to engage in more exercise

4. People filled with gratitude have better dietary behaviors

5. People who are full of gratitude are less likely to smoke and abuse alcohol

Andrea Cox Yoga pose — Yoga is a fantastic way to practice gratitude.

5 gratitude tips to Increase Immunity. A simple way to get started on feeling more grateful every day.

1. Create a gratitude jar

A gratitude jar is something I discovered from a friend about a year ago. All you need to create this is a large mason jar and the expectation that good things are to come your way soon! Simply write down on a scrap piece of paper nice things that occur in your life. Fold the paper up and place it in the jar.

I just celebrated my jars one year anniversary yesterday! Opening it felt like Christmas!

2. Get out in nature

Nature is a must for me. I encourage my clients to get an hour minimum outside each day. The simple reminder of how small we truly are keeps us grounded. For we are not much more than a seedling in this big sometimes harsh world! I love taking my dogs on hikes for hours at a time! Getting lost in nature feels like home to me.

3. Eat mindfully

My version of eating mindfully or "consciously" may be different than yours and this is Ok! For me, eating mindfully means to never eat while standing up and to never eat anything that has a face or comes from an animal that has a face. I also stay away from the obvious dangerous chemical laden foods and packaged items.

What does eating mindfully look like to you? Keto, vegan, raw vegan and gluten free? When you find a program that works for you, stick with it!

For the past two months I have been following a program that has me sleeping like a baby! I've even lost that final ten pounds I've been wanting to get off for what seems like forever! I've populated this link with a $100 off discount code for you to try the organic, vegan and gluten-free program!

4. Keep a gratitude journal

This is a must for me. I've kept gratitude journals for years and have boxes upon boxes of them filling up my garage. Keeping a gratitude journal (see yesterday's entry below), reminds me of the little things I would often look over or even forget if I didn’t take the time to jot them down.

5. Take a gratitude spiritual bath

A gratitude spiritual bath is just like it sounds. It is about giving back to yourself after a long day. It's about showing gratitude to your body. It's about relaxing into yourself. I love this spiritual bath practice to increase Immunity. It's such a stress reliever! At my Alkalize with Andrea detox spiritual retreats, I have my clients take this bath nightly!

Try this simple recipe to say "Thank You" to yourself

Self - Love Gratitude bath recipe

1 Cup Epsom salts

2 TB coconut oil

10 drops of lavender essential oil

10 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil

15 drops Restore to health essential oil blend

Blend all ingredients and then pour into a warm bath. Soak 30 minutes (or until you become a prune)!

Yesterday's Gratitude Journal Entry!

I love my morning workouts! I feel grateful to have a body that moves without pain.

I love this beautiful yard and garden. I feel grateful to live in such a beautiful sanctuary.

I am so grateful for this chaga elixir tonic! It’s infusing my cells with clean pure energy without stimulation.

I am grateful for the holistic health knowledge I have that allows me to live a life of cellular detoxification with ease!

I love each and every one of my clients! They each have a special place within my heart space.

I love my family! I feel grateful that they embrace me no matter how weird my tendencies are.

I am so grateful for my dogs and their playful banter every morning in this desert oasis before the sun comes up over the mountain top. I’m happy they chose me!

There has never been a time in my life where all of my needs were not met and where I was not living in a beautiful place. However, where I am right here and now feels right to me. I am feeling like the most love filled, cared for, grateful woman on earth.

I hope you can learn to be grateful for what you have right in front of you instead of wishing you had someone else from the past or someone who doesn’t yet exist in the future.

I hope you learn to feel the sun on your face in the morning. I hope you learn to appreciate where you are living. Even if it’s in your parents basement after enduring a rough divorce.

I pray that you learn to appreciate your animals that are here for such a short time.

I hope you learn to appreciate your family even if you are far from them during these strange times.

Please pull them closer into your heart space and learn to send them love from a far.

I hope you learn to love your body no matter how short, tall, round, or thin you are. You were divinely made as gods creation and that is not meant to be altered.

I hope you can learn to trust the divine and know that you were, are and always will be taken care of no matter what path you choose.

So what do you think? Will you be adopting these 5 gratitude tips to Increase Immunity? Let me know! I love your feedback!

I love you, please love yourself and drink your juice.