This winter has been brutally cold which makes it seem like it’s dragged on forever, but it’s still January! Who knows when it may end, but hopefully you have done a good job of staying healthy through the cold and flu season that accompanies winter. 
There are a number of factors that impact our immunity and how well we can fight back during this dreaded season – from your stress levels and your ability to cope, the amount of sleep you are getting, to the quality of your nutrition. It can be tough to come out on top when everyone around you at the office or on the train seems to be sneezing in your ear and coughing in your face. So when you do get caught up in a sniffly situation, there are some things you can do to help get yourself back on track faster.
1) Get your Zinc & Vitamin C
The minute you don’t feel well start adding foods high in zinc and vitamin C to your diet. Great sources of zinc include oysters and other shellfish, red meat, legumes, and nuts. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits and strawberries. If you are not up for eating, adding a zinc supplement of 15 mg and vitamin c of 500-1000 mg daily will help too. Just be sure to stop taking the zinc supplement when you are feeling better, too much zinc will inhibit the absorption of other minerals and your body doesn’t have the ability to discard any excess as it does with vitamin C.
2) Eat, but not too much
It is important to eat when you are under the weather. Your body needs the calories and the nutrients to combat the illness. However, eating lightly is best so that your body can focus most of its energies on healing instead of digestion and elimination. Chicken soup is a great food for sickness, the protein will help your body repair, the vegetables will add vitamins to boost your immunity, and the warm broth is helpful for soothing a sore throat and helping to open up your nasal passage.
3) Workout as soon as you are feeling up to it
If your illness is from the neck up, you can workout without the worry of making yourself worse. In fact, it may actually help speed up your recovery. Exercise will help move your body’s fluids, including lymph, through your system more quickly. Lymph is a key component in clearing the waste and pathogens from your body, so the more quickly it circulates the more quickly you recover. Sweat is also a conduit for eliminating toxins from your system, so get moving as soon as possible. Even mild forms of exercise are helpful, so don’t go too hard too soon.
What are some of your stay healthy rituals to make it through winter? Please share below!
Feel good, do what you love,
