With winter just around the corner, many Australians are starting to fear the dreaded ‘cold and flu season’ approaching. However, what many don’t know is that the ‘cold and flu season’ is all but a myth, as the virus lives through every season, whether it may be summer, autumn, winter, or spring.
According to Sheila Zhou, expert scientist at USANA, and leading producer of high quality supplements, “Our immune system is constantly under attack by the cold and flu virus every day. Sometimes it can be challenging to decipher a cold from the flu but it is important to remember that a cold is considered a mild illness in comparison with the flu because the latter usually lasts longer and is harder to battle. Symptoms of a cold are a runny nose, watery eyes or a sore throat, while the flu symptoms are body pain and a severe headache.”
To help prevent our bodies from getting sick this winter, here are six tips:
1. Exercise, Exercise, Exercise
We cannot emphasise this enough. Exercise is crucial in keeping your immune system strong, healthy and away from sickness this winter. Yes, the cold weather can make it more tempting to stay in bed and skip going out for a run but exercising is an art of versatility. Don’t feel like heading out the door? Then create your very own private gym at home. Get a jump rope or a kettle bell to get you going on those jumps and squats. Attempt to at least exercise for approximately 30 minutes every day or every other day and sooner or later you will be saying goodbye to sickness and hello to health.
2. Treat your body to an immune boosting supplement
Sometimes our bodies just need an extra helping hand in staying healthy and that is where supplements come to mind. Immune boosting supplements usually contain Reishi and Shiitake mushrooms that help enhance our immunity and strengthen our vitality even when our body is under lots of stress. It is crucial to remember not to solely rely on supplements alone but to balance it out with the right amount of exercise and diet as well.
3. Sleep the night away
This is something we cannot emphasise enough. Getting the right amount of sleep everyday is crucial in maintaining a strong and healthy immune system free from sickness. Lack of sleep has been found to cause issues of memory loss and depression amongst adults sleeping under the recommended 6-9 hours of sleep. Some signs that you are sleep deprived are grogginess, grumpiness, hungriness, impulsiveness, clumsiness and sometimes sudden weight gain. So when someone berates you for sleeping in, remind them that you are just prolonging and keeping your body away from sickness.
4. Stress Less
Stress is an evil thing because it leaves your immune system in a state of weakness and makes it easier for viruses to penetrate your body. Experts have discovered that stress is actually one of the many factors that can cause chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. Many of us are guilty of over-worrying at times which can make avoiding stress nearly impossible, however it is extremely beneficial to our health to know the healthy ways to manage stress. In stressful situations, it is important to take some time aside to try and soothe yourself before participating in another task to help get your mind of the stressful situation.
5. Check-ups, Check-ups, Check-ups
Again this is something we cannot emphasise enough. Medical-check-ups are the only guaranteed way we can figure out whether our bodies are healthy or not. Preferably, experts recommend participating in medical check-ups every month or every other month, however, going to the doctor for a medical check-up annually is better than not going at all. The idea that going to the doctor will give you nothing but bad news is all but just a myth because there are many circumstances where medical check-ups will actually medically validate that there is nothing wrong with your body and that you are perfectly healthy. In the end, you just have to love yourself and your body enough to schedule in a medical appointment and get your health checked out.
6. Make your every meal all about fruits, veggies, protein and whole grains
Food is the fuel that energises our bodies every day. Differentiating good fuel from bad fuel is crucial in keeping our immune system strong and away from sickness. Balance and portion control are the key factors in achieving a healthy diet. Strive to make your every meal a balance of fruits, veggies, lean protein and whole grains. Remember to make sure that your portions are no bigger than the size of your fist.