Asher came home with the sniffles the other day... great.... back to school a week and here come the colds. Unfortunately you can't control what your child is touching all day at school or whether or not they are putting their fingers in their mouth or nose... Yuck right! But it's true. What you can control are your chances of catching one of the dozen he will bring home between now and Easter!
My 6 Tips for Avoiding Colds
- Wash your hands - Duh right? But most of us don't do it often enough or well enough!
- Get adequate rest - You need plenty of sleep to keep your Immune System in high gear! Getting at least seven hours of shut-eye is the easiest way to steer clear of the common cold. I love to track my sleep with my fitbit so I know how much I'm getting. But with a 2 year old I can tell you I'm not always the one in control of my sleep!
- Eat Healthy Food with Plenty of Vitamins - may seem easy enough but Cold and flu season runs in tandem with candy season — from Halloween to Easter. So make an effort to fill your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner, and snack on fruit throughout the day.
- Zinc - Zinc has been proven to support and enhance the immune system. Eating just a single oyster will give you a whopping 13 milligrams of zinc. That said, since it may be difficult to work Oysters into your diet regularly (so not my thing) consider adding more Beef, wheat germ, spinach, nuts, Cocoa, baked beans, and pumpkin seeds to help you get the recommended eight milligrams a day.
- Exercise - Ya those baggy sweaters and forgiving leggings make it easy to hid a few pounds over the winter months but try to keep moving this time of year. Regular exercise is another immune-system booster, which can prevent cold bugs you do catch from making you sick.
- Vitamin D - This lovely vitamin helps to regulate the Immune System. Studies have shown that people with low levels of Vitamin D are more susceptible to catching colds. In the winter months we all get less Vitamin D because one of the main sources of it is sunshine! If you drink a lot of milk; frequently eat fatty fish, like salmon; or live in a sunny climate, you are probably getting an adequate amount. If not you can take a Vitamin D Supplement or drink Shakeology ;)
Zinc is also effective when taken at the first signs of a cold. Oral lozenges that contain the mineral, have been shown to decrease the duration of colds.
One Last thing: Don’t swear off workouts if you do get a simple head cold. Studies have found that moderate exercise can actually help you recover from a cold more quickly than normal.
Kick start your immune system with my Free 5 Day Clean Eating Group just fill out the form to join and then share with a friend!
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