First thing to say – I’m not a doctor or trained medical professional and this blog post absolutely is not written as or intended to replace any medical advice. The things I write about are tips and advice which are important for general healthy living as well as giving your body a boost when it comes to being poorly but are absolutely no guarantee.
Second thing to say – I’m writing this on the tail end of the worse cold I’ve had in about 10 years. One of the biggest and unexpected benefits of changing my whole lifestyle back in 2010 was the fact that the numerous coughs, colds and bugs that I inevitably suffered with several times a year pretty much vanished. I would get very minor symptoms for a day or two but they would never develop into a full blown cold and it took me several years to actually realise that my new healthy eating and healthy living lifestyle was having a much bigger impact on my life than just my dress size and since then, I’ve really used my nutrition and lifestyle to help me stay as healthy as I can be.
So, I had 48 hours of feeling pretty rough with all the usual cold symptoms but on the 3rd day, started to feel a lot better – and now, I’m writing this on day 5 – I’m pretty much back to normal, been for a gentle run this morning, haven’t sneezed once today and am putting in a full day of work and thought a few tips and advice on how you can help fight off those bugs or if you have got them, help yourself get better as quickly as possible, may be a useful blog post!
So, as we’re fully in cold and flu season, we are likely to be faced with a lot more bugs and unfortunately we cannot completely control whether we get poorly or not – you never know where those bugs and germs are hiding – but there are some things you can do to help your body fight off those bugs more effectively.
1
Nutrition - Eat Well
What we eat has a massive impact on our immune system and ‘eating the rainbow’ of a variety of fruits, vegetables and salad foods at all times, gives your body a huge natural immunity boost to help you fight off germs so really look at incorporating as many different fruits, veggies and salad into your every day menus.
There are also certain herbs and spices which can also give your immune system that extra boost and I’ll share some of the things I did this week to really help me get over my cold as quickly as posible.
Cut down as much as you can on processed foods with and look to eat whole foods with no extra additives, preservatives and random ingredients that you don’t have a clue what they actually are!
2
Stay Active
Regular exercise has been shown to reduce down the number of times a person gets sick in a year. 30 minutes of moderate activity a few times a week is a great boost for your immune system – it helps your immune cells move around your body better and helps your body’s natural defence system in the production of anti-bodies and white blood cells.
Find activity that you enjoy, that raises your heart rate and that you break a sweat whilst doing and find a way to make it part of your weekly routine.
3
Sleep
Sleep is so important for so many aspects of our health but poor sleep can lead to a reduction in our immune system so really have a think about how much sleep you are getting and remember – the ideal for most people is 7-9 hours a night.
Look to build some good sleep habits – there’s lots of tips out there but a few headline ones:
- keep a consistent bedtime and get up time every day of the week
- avoid devices such as your phone for at least an hour before bed
- limit caffeine and alcohol intake
- create a relaxing environment in your bedroom
4
Hydration
The importance of drinking enough fluids is something I think most of us are aware of for our general health but it’s also vital for our immune system and pays a key role in it functioning at its best.
It helps with the production and movement of your immune cells, it maintains the effective mucous membranes which are a crucial defence mechanism plus it helps you flush out toxins so get that water down you
5
Reduce stress
A tough one as so many of us deal with increasing levels of stress just in our every day lives and there’s always so much to deal with but when we are stressed, we release hormones that actually interfere with the production of the cells in our bodies that help to fight infections so where possible, look to see how you can reduce the stress levels in your life – find small self-care activities that help you relax and unwind and fit in some exercise – a great stress reliever!
6
Vitamin D
This is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy immune system and people with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to catch a cold than those without.
According to the NHS, in the UK, between October and early March, we don’t produce enough vitamin D from sunlight and therefore supplementing with vitamin D tablets is advisable for everyone (do check with your doctor if you are unsure). NHS suggest 10 micrograms a day
Getting over my cold and using food as medicine!
Now, often when you feel rubbish, food choices often get worse – you don’t have the energy to cook, you don’t fancy veggies and traditional comfort food seems a lot more appealing. Add to that feeling tired and achy, willpower and motivation are nowhere to be seen – however, the absolute best thing you can do it pump your body full of nature’s medicines – get as many vitamins and minerals in you as possible and avoiding the sugary, processed foods will speed up your recovery and you’ll be back on your feet so much quicker.
So, here’s a few tips to help:
1) Berries and fruits high in vitamin C – these foods will absolutely help you fight off those germs so make a simple breakfast of fruit, natural yoghurt and some cereal to start your day off with an injection of vitamins and antioxidants.
2) Veg, veg and more veg – the easiest way I find to get as much veg into me with the minimum of effort is to get the soup maker out and throw as many different vegetables in there as I have in. I’ve had soup for lunch pretty much every day for a week (the only exception was a jacket spud and large salad as we were having a soup for dinner that evening). It’s a lot easier to eat a bowl of soup than face a plate full of broccoli and cabbage when you are feeling rough.
3) I made meals nice and simple – cooked up a few favourites that take minimum effort and cooking time, utilised leftovers so cooked once but ate the same thing the next evening or for lunchtimes to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible but still ensuring we were eating healthy home cooked meals packed full of veg.
4) Drinks – I already drink lots of water every day but I added in a few camomile teas with a tsp of honey, a tsp of ginger and a squeeze of lemon juice each day. These helped ease my sore throat but also are good to help boost your immune system.
5) I’m self-employed and as hard as it was, I gave myself the day off work on Friday to rest, sleep and relax. Dozing on and off during the day helped more that I could have imagined.
6) Specific foods I tried to eat as much of as I could: certain foods can really help when you are feeling ill as they are proven to be good for your immune system so I focused on trying to include as many of the following each day:
- salmon / oily fish
- garlic and onions
- citrus fruits – kiwi, oranges, lemons are what we had in
- chilli – both peppers and the spice itself
- veg – as many as possible but definitely carrots, broccoli and spinach
- bananas
- ginger and turmeric
So, just to repeat what I said at the start – none of this can guarantee that you won’t get sick, but in my view, doing what I can to prevent getting ill is absolutely worthwhile and even if it reduces the changes by 10%, that’s definitely worth investing the time into.
I hope you find a few tips that you can put into action immediately to help give your immune system a boost to help you over the winter months. I’m hoping it’s another 10 years until I get my next cold!!!!
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