Now more than ever, personal health and wellness is increasingly becoming a top priority for more and more people. The Covid-19 outbreak has shone light on several daily preventive health and safety measures that in theory should be second nature, as well as on how much room for improvement exists for us as individuals to have a more heightened sense of awareness to how seriously we take these measures.

Defined by the World Health Organization, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, SARS, kidney failure and in some cases, death.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about the novel Coronavirus, but we do know a few things:

1. Practicing good hygiene is an essential preventive measure. This includes washing your hands thoroughly and often using anti-bacterial soap, using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer and coughing or sneezing into your bent elbow and not your hands

2. Those at higher risk; i.e. the elderly and people with pre-existing long-term health conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, should especially be taking the above preventive measures very seriously

3. You should avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing whether you’re considered high-risk or not

4. Because it's a new illness, we do not know exactly how Coronavirus spreads from person to person. Similar viruses are spread via cough droplets.

Now that you have an overview of what Coronavirus is, our team has put together a list of tips to take your general and personal hygiene game up to the next level, as well as ways to help give your immunity a little boost:

1. Use your elbow to hit elevator buttons as so many people have frequent contact with these surfaces

2. Use your own pen if you need to sign for anything such as purchases or deliveries, and tap your card when making purchases instead of handing your physical card over

3. Disinfect your phone frequently! Your phone comes into contact with several surfaces over the course of the day and picks up loads of germs along the way. Use antibacterial wipes, or use an alcohol-based gel on a tissue to wipe it down

4. On that note, give your laptop or desktop computer and keyboard some love too. It’s not a bad idea to disinfect your steering wheel, door handles and cupboard handles at home either.

5. Some of our trainers swear by a shot of turmeric, ginger, lemon, apple cider vinegar and honey as these ingredients have immunity-boosting properties that can help fight bacteria

6. Vitamin C and Zinc are your friends. They can help you maintain a strongly functioning immune system

7. Sleep is underrated! Make sure you’re getting sufficient, quality sleep; at least 7 hours a night. We know this can be challenging to do consistently but make a conscious effort to try your best- limit screen time at least an hour before bed and relax your mind as much as possible

8. Avoid big crowds and social gatherings, as well as non-essential travel

9. Wash your hands thoroughly (count to 20 or sing the ABCs in your head), or use an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer thoroughly upon entering any facility and before you leave, and again when you get to your next destination

10. Lastly, meditation. This one may not be directly related to immunity, but it can help you relax especially if you’re experiencing anxiety during this time. There are different types of meditation, so finding which one is best for you and what your body and mind need can help you relax and put your mind a little more at ease

Try to implement as many of the above suggestions as you can, practice social distancing and try to find something productive that you enjoy doing during this period of increased downtime. Pick up a new book, journal, take time to reflect, or simply just enjoy time at home with your loved ones. Try to find comfort in the fact that we’re all in this mess together, and we’ll come out of it together.