As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that’s certainly true when it comes to catching a cold. By following these simple steps, you can protect yourself from colds this winter instead of suffering for days, missing time off from work, school, and holiday parties.
Get Plenty of Quality Rest
The one thing that people continue to sacrifice first tends to be their rest, foregoing sleep so that they can catch up on emails, do housework, or watch another episode of their favorite show. Our bodies use the hours of sleep to do vital repair and rejuvenation work, strengthening our immune system to be able to fight off stress and viral invaders during the day.
Eat Shitake Mushrooms
These once-exotic mushrooms are now becoming recognized for their unique healthy ingredients. Long used in traditional Chinese medicine, shitake mushrooms contain special ingredients that help boost your immune system. These tasty mushrooms can add delicious texture to a healthy salad, or can be tossed into a stir-fry or soup.
Eat Your Vegetables
There’s nothing mysterious about vegetables – they’re packed full of vitamins, minerals, and other essential ingredients, and everyone knows that eating more of them is good for you. If you’re not sure how to add more vegetables to your diet, try a new routine of eating a salad every day for lunch, or follow the old maxim of “meat and three” vegetables for dinner.
Stay Hydrated
Some experts believe that a significant portion of illnesses that people suffer from today could be avoided or lessened if people stayed hydrated. Whether you’re drinking water, sipping on tea, or enjoying a nice hot soup, your body depends on plenty of liquid hydration to perform vital functions, including fending off viral invaders.
Reduce Stress
The holidays can be one of the most stressful times of the year, which is why it is more important than ever to reduce your stress load. Whether it is not overdoing it at a New Year’s Eve party or getting enough rest, performing regular exercise to burn off frustration and excess calories, or learning simple meditation and relaxation techniques, lowering your stress levels is one of the best ways to stay healthy.
Some people get so caught up in their busy and hectic levels that the only time they get enough rest is when they’re sick. Instead of waiting to suffer from sneezing, coughing, chills, fevers, and a sore head to get some down time, vow to take care of yourself, managing stress and learning to relax. Then you’ll feel healthy, strong and vibrant when life throws curve balls your way.