I bet you know at least one person (if not a few!) who are struggling with a cold right now.
Here are a few tips to keep your immune system boosted this holiday season. These tips are good not only to help prevent getting sick, but also to boost your immune system if you feel like you’re on the front side of a cold.
Limit or avoid sugar.
(I can hear you laughing!) Yes, it’s the holiday season and sugary yumminess abounds everywhere you look. When it comes to colds – sugar is what the bacteria and viruses feed on the most. So when you reduce or eliminate sugar, you starve the bugs and they go away (in other words, you don’t get as sick, or even sick at all).
Stay rested.
When we’re burning the candle at both ends, our ability to keep our immune system up to snuff suffers. This time of year there are lots of pressures: get all the right Christmas things to the right people at the right time; go to all the parties and figure out what to wear to each one (and who would really notice if you wore that sweater again?), work deadlines because of the end of the year, etc. There are lots of mild to high stressful situations and this eats into our ability to keep our immune system on par. To combat this and stay rested, take a mini-time out every day to do some deep breathing allowing your heart and head to clear. Also, make sleep a high priority and take care to get enough to allow your body to recover each night.
Consume bone broth.
You know the adage of eating chicken noodle soup when you feel crummy. Part of the reason for that is all immune-boosting nutrients in the broth. So, if you’re not into noodles (a form of sugar), you can just have the bone broth because that’s where the immune-supporting goodies are. I like to drink bone broth like tea. It’s a warm and cozy snack mid-afternoon.
Get adjusted.
Believe it or not, getting adjusted is a direct boost to your immune system. When you get adjusted, it improves the function of your nervous system and, therefore, anything your nervous system controls (which is everything, btw). There is a very intimate relationship between your immune system and your nervous system. In fact, your immune system has been labeled “your floating nervous system.” So, want an immune boost?? Get your nervous system checked for interference and tuned up to be on point. When your nervous system is healthy, so are you.
Remember, you’re in charge of your health.
The reality is, we don’t live in a bubble. As humans in modern society, we come in contact with people every day. We can’t control what bugs they’re carrying around. However, we absolutely can control our choices and how our choices influence our body’s immune system function and our ability to get and stay healthy. Are you never going to have another cold? Probably not. But I can tell you by taking the steps listed above, you’re taking charge of your health and giving your body the tools to better defend against what you do come in contact with.
I want you to enjoy the holiday season to its fullest!
Use one or more of these tips to boost your immune system and get the most from this wonderful time of the year. You and your health deserve it.