Who isn’t looking for a way to keep their body in top physical condition? I personally hate to get sick or slowed down with anything because I have so much I want to accomplish.

Well, a few years ago I stumbled upon a way to keep from picking up the bugs around me and getting ill. It was a by-product of spreading thanks and I was amazed when I fully felt the super-charged connection between being thankful and staying healthy.

Hoping For Health

The way I realized it was kind of funny. I was out traveling for the better part of two weeks, coming in constant touch with clients every day and evening at work events, meetings and dinners. It seemed like every person I came in contact with across the state was coming down with a cold or just getting over something.

I thought, oh please don’t let me catch anything. I tried to eat well, kept taking my usual vitamins, and kept washing my hands but I knew that alone didn’t always work. Each time the seasons changed, my body always seemed to pick up what was going around. It seemed inevitable. After two weeks on the road, I got home exhausted and crashed into bed knowing full well what was coming.

The Gratitude Boost

Then I woke up Saturday morning feeling surprisingly chipper. Really? Yes, really. I started through my morning routine, which of course included writing up my usual daily thank you note and I had a great weekend. I connected with friends, caught up on stuff around the house, helped my neighbor move some boxes in her garage, and I even saw a movie.

Sunday night I prepped for another busy week with a ton of paperwork and the follow-ups with clients, but I still felt healthy and strong. Not tired or run down at all. Hmmm, I thought, I hope this lasts.

Sure enough, another busy two weeks followed. People around me were still sneezing and wheezing. My neighbor called and said she was down for the count with the flu. My movie friend canceled a lunch date because she and her kids were all sick. I steered clear of what I could and kept motoring along. Kept sending my thank you note each morning, being kind, spreading thanks and trying to avoid the usual seasonal bugs that were being spread all around me.

A Pleasant Surprise

By the end of that month and even the next month, I realized that I had managed to stay healthy. It was such a novel concept! For the first time in years, I weathered the dreaded early fall season. Then I went into the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas — more handshaking, hugs, socializing and being out and about — and the New Year came and I was still feeling good.

By March I had stayed fully healthy for more than six months and then weathered the change over to spring still feeling strong. It felt so good not to succumb to the barrage of bugs and I thought, what did I do right this past year? How come I dodged all that? Could it have been my new spread thanks practice? The sending out of just one little note each day and staying present looking for my daily miracles? I felt so good and positive each day and so much less stressed than before.

I kept an eye on my health status for a full 12 months, and yes, it held. As the seasons came and went, I stayed well. A few times, I’d feel something coming on, but I’d double down with self-care, keep on being grateful, spreading kindness on my daily travels, and I consistently stayed healthy.

Now it’s almost four years later and I hardly ever get sick. I don’t seem to run into physical aches and pains of any kind. My gratitude practice is consistently strong and so is my immunity. The one thing I added to my routine was to send a note a day and I know it has made all the difference.

Why not try it yourself? What do you have to lose? Just commit to this one small change in your routine by picking up a pen and writing a short thank you note each morning and send it off to the other person who helped you. Then watch the power of gratitude and kindness boost your energy level and keep you in better shape to ward off colds and flu that might be coming your way. I’d love to hear about your thoughts and experiences below. Thanks for sharing and thank you for spreading thanks in your corner of the world.

Elena Anguita is a change agent, speaker, and author of Spread Thanks! Create Miracles Through The Power of Ink who supports education and passionately believes in the transformative power of gratitude. You can connect with Elena on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SpreadThanks.com

Image courtesy of Preslie Hirsch.