Winter Wellness

by Claire, 9 months ago

From mid May to end August, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll have at least 1-2 clients per day cancel their sessions due to Winter germs! Flu, colds and coughs patrol the Cape Town streets in search of their next victims – how can you keep the dreaded disease at bay this Winter?

 1) Vitamin Intake
Adequate supplementation is so important to keeping your immune system healthy and working optimally during Winter. Unless you live on a farm and enjoy food that has not been processed, packaged or flash-frozen, chances are you are NOT getting enough vitamins and minerals to keep your body healthy.

• Take a good multi-vitamin that keeps your immune system up. I’ve recently changed from Berroca (fantastic, but a little processed) to BioStrath (a yeast extract, perfect for keeping the immune system up and running!)
• Take Omega 3 Oils to keep chronic inflammation in your immune system away – an immune system that functions without inflammation is a healthy immune system
• Additional Vitamin C supplements (ask your pharmacist for the recommended dose for you, if you are taking another multi-vitamin) - the most bio-available version of vitamin C is L-ascorbic acid! 
• Make sure your diet is full of vegetables, fruits and lean proteins – eating sugary sweets and carbohydrate-dense pies will not keep your body healthy and strong to fight off infection!

2) Hygiene

• wash your hands even more than usual, especially after coming into contact with a large amount of people or children (think at the shops where you exchange money, child care centres)
• keep a bottle of hand sanitiser in your car/handbag to keep germs at bay
• Don’t forget that your cell phone and keyboard are rife with germs – make sure you wipe them regularly with disinfectant towels.

3) Avoid Stress (easier said than done right?)

• Excessive stress and anxiety can lead to reduced immunity and an increased chance of getting sick! When under stress, the stress hormones cortisol, noradrenaline and adrenaline rise, this causes restlessness, nervousness, jitters and other non-specific and non-directed signs of agitation. Blood is directed away from periphery blood vessels and directed to the heart and major muscles, blood pressure increases, as does heart rate. The immune system, digestion, hormones, neurotransmitters etc are suppressed. It’s crucial to keep daily stress under control as much as possible to offset the effects of past stress and encourage good health in the present.

4) Keep to your Sleep Routine

• Sleeping in late on the weekends when it’s dark and naptime snoozing in the day in front of the telly can mess up your sleeping pattern. You’ll find that you won’t be able to sleep properly or soundly at night time, and thus your immune system will be compromised. Resist the temptation to lie-in and get up and go to bed at the same time each day (naturally however, if you are sick – take the time to rest and get as much sleep as possible)

4) Physical Exercise

• We all know the benefits of exercise on our health – daily and regular exercise helps by improving lymphatic and cardiovascular circulation. However, the effects of exercise on your immune system are short lived and in order to optimise these effects it is important to exercise regularly.

So find a Full Circle Wellness exercise session that suits your needs – boot camp, body conditioning, pilates or kinesiology! More info here: https://fullcirclewellness.co.za/
 

Note: Regular vigorous exercise can place a higher burden on your immune system and adequate rest and recovery should be factored into your week.

Sources:
http://www.progesteronetherapy.com/anxiety-attack symptoms.html#axzz38rLNCIMs

http://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-pictures/scary-symptoms-of-stress-0118.aspx

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/tips/exercise-to-beat-winter-blues.htm

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colds coughs exercise flu Full Circle Wellness germs hygiene illness sick sleep stress vitamins well winter winter germs winter motivation winter wellness

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Exercise & Fitness Tips Full Circle Wellness Services Winter Motivation

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