WOW!! October is already here! Where has the time gone? The days are getting much shorter and the evenings a lot cooler. Signs of fall & the coming winter are all around us; advertisements for cold and flu medicines, the leaves are changing and falling, football is in full swing, and fall vegetables are at the farmer’s market. The month of October starts the roller coaster ride of sugar filled American holidays. So, how do we stay healthy amidst all these changes? Actually it’s what we do all year long that prepares us for the fall & winter seasons. However, there are a few tips I think will help us combat the fall & winter challenges:
- Take a vitamin D supplement – with the days being shorter and the different angle of the sun we are not getting adequate amounts of this vital vitamin from the sun during these later months. It’s always a good idea to get your levels checked to make sure you do not take too much!
- Recognize the importance of self-care – take time for yourself each day. What you do does not matter as long as you are doing it for you such as go for a walk, some other form of exercise (exercise improves the immune function), get a massage, meditate or pray for 20 minutes or more, journal, read a good book, take a bath, play with a pet, etc.
- Eat whole foods – plain & simple… whole foods contain vitamins & minerals in their natural state, processed foods do not.
- Manage stress levels – when we get stressed our bodies are out of sync with nature and we tend to do unnatural things such as reduce our sleep, eat a lot of refined sugar, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol. Take an adaptogenic supplement to help with daily stresses.
- Keep all refined sugar out of the house – if sweets are not available you will not eat them as much. Replace sugary sweets with other sweet foods or snacks such as sweet potatoes and carrot sticks.
- Netti pot – with the air getting cooler & drier we need to keep our sinuses lubricated and cleaned. Look it up.
- Do not over eat. When we overeat there is not a lot of room for proper digestion. We should eat slowly, chewing our food well, and pay attention to the messages our body sends us. When we eat mindfully we will notice when we are almost full and that’s when we should stop. Many eastern people say to eat until you are 80% full and that will leave plenty of room for proper digestion and absorption.
These are only a couple of things we can do on a regular basis that will help improve our health through the fall & winter seasons. Cheers to healthy, happy, and whole holidays.
