I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Winter has well and truly arrived! ‘Tis the season for runny noses and the dreaded germ-spreading-hoarse-sounding-chesty-cough, and nobody has time for lying on the couch with a throw rug and a box of tissues for days at a time, right?!
So, what can you start to do now to avoid falling victim? We’ve listed our top 5 tips for building up our defenses:
1. Stay active
It may sound obvious, but keeping active is vital for feeling well over the colder months. Not only does it keep the blood pumping in the cooler weather, getting sweaty releases toxins and builds the immune system. Make it a priority to get sweaty at least 4 times per week!
2. When choosing your fruit & veggies, colourful is best!
Different coloured fruit & vegetables contain different phytochemicals, which are essentially disease fighting chemicals. Eating a variety of coloured fruit & vegetables means maximizing your nutrient intake and building up your immunity to become a disease fighting machine!
So how do you ensure you are eating enough of a variety? Try this – take photos of each of your meals for 3 days, and then compare them side by side. Do you see a variety of different coloured fruits and veg? If you’re only seeing 2-3 colours, chances are you need to diversify your intake. Remember there are 5 primary colour groups – green, red, brown/white, purple & orange/yellow – how can you fit them all in?
3. Keep your hands clean..!
Imagine how many germs you are exposed to when catching the train, at the supermarket, at work, or even around your own home! Washing your hands – and we mean really washing your hands..! – means you rid yourself of any germs you’ve picked up, and you are helping prevent spreading any of your own… Win/win right?
4. Take advantage of natural germ-fighting herbs!
There is a seemingly never ending list of herbs out there which have immune building & germ fighting properties. These not only helping to prevent you getting sick, but also to help ease any symptoms if you do start to get a runny nose or wake up with a sore throat. But which herbs do you choose, and how do you get your hot little hands on these?
Our fave way to get maximum benefit with minimal fuss is to drink SMT’s ImmuniTea on the daily... ImmuniTea is made up of Rose Hip & Rose Hip extract, Peppermint Leaf, Nettle Leaf, Lemon Myrtle Leaf & Hibiscus Flower, meaning one little cup will help to prevent & fight colds, promote respiratory health, treat nasal congestion, boost the immune system, provide anti-inflammatory properties…the list goes on & on. But perhaps best of all, snuggling up on the couch with a warm cup of tea just feels so good..!
5. Get your zzzzzz’s!
Last but absolutely not least – we are all busy, but not getting enough sleep can be detrimental in SO many ways. Getting a good night’s sleep strengthens your immune system and helps your body get in battle ready mode..! The golden number we always hear is 8 hours, but if you aren’t getting this, just have a think about how you could squeeze in even just another 30 minutes each night. It all helps..!
Happy germ-fighting!!