‘Tis the season for festive gatherings with family and friends, but according to the CDC, more viruses can be spread during this time of year because of large gatherings, crowded travel, and more time indoors. As we approach the cold and flu season, it's crucial to adopt measures that support our immune system and overall health.
These tips are designed to provide guidance for individuals looking to navigate the season and keep their immunity high. To help us stay on top of our health during the impending holiday rush and cold and flu season, here are a few tips to stay proactive amid the seasonal challenges:
- Prevent the Spread: Clean and disinfect your home before hosting guests to minimize the spread of germs. Taking this step before more people enter your common environment can create a healthier space for all.
- Prioritize Quality Sleep: Adequate and quality sleep is paramount for a robust immune system. Ensuring you get sufficient, high-quality sleep each night can significantly improve your body's ability to fend off illnesses.
- Stay Hydrated: In colder weather, it's easy to forget the importance of staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of water is crucial to fortify your defenses against potential illnesses and helps maintain overall vitality.
- Prioritize Nourishment and Real Meals: It’s important to eat three full meals filled with each ‘macronutrient’ (i.e., protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates) but especially to support a less nutrient-dense holiday. It sounds so simple, but that’s one of the biggest shifts we can make around eating during the holidays is not sacrificing the need to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When we eat well-balanced meals, we naturally have an easier time balancing our sweets intake.
- Manage Symptoms as They Come: Sometimes we are not as lucky to avoid cold symptoms, and when they start it is pivotal to act fast. Also, relying on what our elders used, drinking tea with honey before bed can help to soothe symptoms.
- Mitigate Holiday Stress: While the holiday season is joyous, it can also be stressful. Taking time each day to deal with stress through activities like establishing a bedtime routine, journaling, meditating, or simply enjoying alone time can contribute to a robust immune system.
These tips aim to keep health top of mind and prioritize your own wellbeing as temperatures drop and viruses spread, as nobody wants to miss out on holiday cheer and celebration with loved ones.
Sources:
- CDC
- Nutrisense
- Yahoo! Finance
- BusinessWire
