5 Must-Have Tips to Stay Healthy During Cold and Flu Season
With the cold weather and holidays, unfortunately also comes cold and flu season. Here are my 5 tips and tricks to stay healthy and avoid the cold and flu, or at least minimize it!
1. Drink More Water
Drinking more water is one of the best things we can do for our health! Aim to drink at least ½ of your body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you are 150lb, that would be 75 oz of water each day, or about 9 glasses of water.
Not only will staying hydrated help keep you healthy, but we lose more fluids when we’re sick, so it is especially important during this cold and flu season.
Bonus: When life gives you lemons…squeeze them in your water to get some vitamin C…which leads us to #2!
2. Get enough Vitamins and nutrients
Did you know that a serving of Red bell peppers has more vitamin C than an orange? It’s true!
You should also try grapefruit, strawberries, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and even brussels sprouts and broccoli for vitamin C boosts. Other vitamins and and supplements that help support immunity include Vitamin D, Elderberry, Zinc, Astragalus root, and oil of oregano. I always recommend getting your vitamins and nutrients from whole foods, but if you need to supplement some of my favorite brands are Mega Food, Gaia, and Thorne.
3. Catch those Z’s
Your body needs time to adequately rest and recover to keep your cells functioning optimally and your immune system strong and mighty! Sleep also helps counteract stress, which is important as stress can decrease immune function.
Running on empty between holiday parties, end of year work deadlines, shopping til’ you drop, and travel will only set yourself up to get sick. Be sure to prioritize sleep and aim for at least 8 hours of sleep! For more on sleep read this post.
4. Choose healthy foods
Eat foods that will support you, such as greens, lean protein, health fats, probiotic-rich foods, and lots of garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, and spices. Protein helps fuel the antibody soldiers that fight off infections and probiotics keep our immune system in tip-top shape. Healthy fats, such as nuts and nut butters (this is my favorite, use code NWW for 20% off!), seeds, olive oil (use code NWW for 15% off!), and avocados, help our bodies absorb many vitamins. Probiotics are found in sauerkraut, kombucha, picked veggies, or in pill form. Garlic and onion are antimicrobial and turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory.
Pro-tip: After you chop your garlic, let it sit for about 20 minutes before adding it to your recipe. This allows it to fully release all of its amazing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits!
Make sure your meals are full of healthy, colorful, whole foods to supply you with all the vitamins and nutrients to fuel your body and keep you functioning at your best.
5. Wash your hands and disinfect
Don’t be a bum, wash off the scum!” :)
Wash your hands with soap and hot water for a minimum of 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) to prevent the spread of germs! Disinfect commonly touched surfaces frequently, such as door knobs, phones, handles, and counters. (This is my favorite all-in-one nontoxic cleaner!)
Bonus Tip: Move your body!
Exercising helps get that blood pumping, decreases stress, improves sleep, supports immunity, and much more. Even a snowball fight, walk outside, shoveling the driveway, or hitting the dance floor at the holiday party counts! It’s a win-win!
I hope these help you stay healthy during cold and flu season, and ALL year long!
>>> Let me know in the comments below what you’re doing to stay healthy and boost your immunity!
