Ways To Stay Healthy During The Winter

Stay Healthy This Winter With These Tips 

For the last two years, I’ve unfortunately caught some sort of virus during the winter months. It’s never anything to serious but my symptoms seem to last forever. I’ll be congested and have a cough until the New Year. Once it finally goes away, it seems to come back right before springtime. It’s terrible!

I generally practice healthy habits like eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, taking a multivitamin and I am constantly washing my hands during the “cold season.” All of these habits are important, but after learning more about keeping our immune systems healthy from Katie, I’m going to add extra habits to my daily routine this season. Here are some preventative tips that can keep you healthy this winter season:

Take a probiotic

As Katie said, “Your health begins in your belly!” A big culprit for a weakened immune system is a lack of healthy bacteria in our bellies.  Our body needs a balanced amount of healthy bacteria to keep our immune systems strong.  There’s different ways we can destroy the balance of healthy bacteria in our gut so we need to replenish these  stores. We can do this by adding a probiotic or fermented foods such as keifer, kimchee, coconut water kefer or saurkraut to your diet. Check out Katie’s blog for more tips about how to keep your guts healthy! Bone broth is also a great way to help improve your gut. The gelatin in bone broth protects and heals the mucosal lining of the digestive tract and helps aid in the digestion of nutrients which is why it helps a leaky gut. Get the recipe here.

Reduce your sugar Intake

During this time of year, we are surrounded by holidays and sugary treats. To much sugar causes mood swings, irritation, headache, exhaustion and more.  When our body is tired, it is less able to fight infection or ward off those pesty viruses. Decreasing your sugar intake will allow you to feel more energized, less stressed and more balanced. If you’re looking for a sugary fix, try Katie’s raw chocolate macaroons, chia seed pudding or peanut butter and chocolate smoothie! Get all the recipes here 

Drink lots of water!

Our bodies are composed of 70% water. This means keeping ourselves hydrated is critical for us to function properly and our immune systems strong.  Water is often the forgotten nutrient. We forget how important it is to our health and wellness! Aim for drinking 64oz of water a day. That’s about four 16oz water bottles or eight individual c
ups if you don’t have a water bottle. Spice up your H20 by adding fruits to your water bottle like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries. I love adding lemon and mint leaves to mine! Fruits and vegetables also have a high water content that could aide in your water consumption for the day. Grapefruit, cantaloupe, peppers, cabbage and spinach are all high in water!

Add in a simple workout to your day

When we keep our bodies moving, it helps keep our immune systems strong to ward off sickness. Add a yoga class to your evenings after work, a 30 minute walk or try interval training.

It’s never fun to be sick but it’s especially unfortunate during the holiday season!

To stay healthy over the holidays be sure to get our healthy holiday survival guide. This guide is full of recipes, party tips and ways to feel less stressed during the busiest time of the year.