How We Stay Healthy, Year-Round

With cold weather just around the corner, many of us are gearing up for our yearly bout with the common cold or flu. With COVID-19 still prevalent, it isn't acceptable to down some Buckley's before you head out for the day when you feel something coming on. Getting sick this year could mean costly days off from work or missing out on your favorite activities while waiting for results from a COVID-19 screening. Here are our top tips to give you the best chances at an illness-free winter.

1. Optimize your diet with nutrient-dense foods

Your gut is immunity headquarters. If your diet is poor, your chances of fighting infection are very low. Once you are sick, you won't absorb nutrients as easily as you would when you're healthy either. Feeding your immune system with plenty of nutrients like probiotics and prebiotics will balance the good bacteria in your gut. Consuming 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables, grains or starchy foods, and fats from seeds are good sources of prebiotics. Dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and kefir or fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, or even wine (in moderation) are great sources of probiotics.

2. Supplement with immune-boosting vitamins and minerals

Vitamin c, zinc, ginseng, elderberry extract, and selenium are great to support your body's defense against infection. Ensuring you are getting your daily recommended dose of vitamins and minerals is an easy way to keep your immune system running smoothly.

3. Manage sleep and stress levels

Getting enough sleep is paramount to regulating stress levels. Aim to get a solid 7-9 hours of sleep every night to allow your body to fully recover. Adopting a nightly routine that allows you to wind down, unplug from devices, and help you get to sleep at a reasonable time will set you up for feeling refreshed in the morning. Proper sleep is proven to help keep stress levels under control and avoiding burn out. When we are stressed or burnt out, our immune system carries the burden and the risk of getting sick becomes high! Adopting healthy habits like planning your day, keeping your work schedule to a reasonable load, and properly winding down before bed are all very important when managing stress.

4. Balance your exercise. Not too much & not too little.

Including movement & exercise as part of your daily/weekly routine is important but ensuring you are not overdoing it is just as important. While getting a sweat on at a moderate intensity 3-4 days a week has been shown to help boost your immunity, overdoing it can increase the risk of infection. Create a structured training plan and if you feel like you need extra time to rest, take it! Giving your muscles and nervous system time to recover is part of a healthy approach to fitness and will keep your immune system stronger in the long run.

5. Most importantly, be kind to yourself & listen to your body.

You demand a lot of yourself, cut yourself some slack if needed. If you do feel an illness coming on, don't ignore it! Take a day or two and make sure your symptoms don't get worse and seek information from a medical professional to rule out if your symptoms align with COVID-19. If they don't and you are given the green light from your doctor to return to your normal routine, take it easy. Don't overload your schedule, and above all, practice good hygiene to prevent passing anything on to anyone else.

While we can't guarantee this list will completely prevent a cold or illness this winter, these are some of the practices we have found easy to follow and have helped us keep our immune systems in check. We hope you find our tips useful and easy to add to your daily routine of healthy habits!