Four Tips to Squash the Cold and Flu Bug Before They Bite

Four Tips to Squash the Cold and Flu Bug Before They Bite.

By Terrence Thomas, Holistic Lifestyle Coach

The holiday season is upon us, which means food, parties, and of course the winter cold and flu. Spending time with family and friends is always fun and the holidays are meant to be a time of celebration and reflection. As exciting as the Holiday season is, it does come with its inherent stressors such as late night parties, excessive alcohol consumption and the wonderful holiday desserts. This is in addition to being right in the middle of cold and flu season. It is a bit ironic that the immune system will be suppressed at the very time that it needs to be at its peak efficiency.

In addition to colds and flu, consider that a large majority of health incidents such as heart attacks and strokes occur during the holidays. Studies have shown that the cardiovascular system is under great stress after a high fat meal. The arties actually go into spasm or constrict as a result of the excessive calorie consumption. If there is a pre-existing cardiovascular condition, a mega holiday meal can mean disaster for some.

I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t care what he says, I’m stuffing my face anyway!” Well I’m right there with you. However if you are going to play the game, you may as well know the rules. There are steps that you can take to help you navigate thru the rum cake and eggnog with minimal damage. With that said here are 4 principles that will give you a fighting chance at staying healthy during the holiday season.

 

 

Sleep; The optimal resting time is between 10:30pm and 6:00 am. This is the time of physical and psychological repair based on the body’s natural sleep and wake cycles. The time of physical repair for the body is between 10pm and 2am.You will be able to predict your likelihood for getting sick by the number of days that you go to bed late. The less time the body has to repair, the greater the chances of not being able to fight off infection.  Pace yourself when it comes to staying up late. If staying up late is unavoidable, a great way to catch up on lost “zzz” is to take 20 to 30 minute naps during the day. These naps are called “adrenal naps” because they are great for helping the adrenal glands recover from stress. The adrenal glands are very sensitive to sleeping patterns and they also play a major role in maintaining a healthy immune system. The adrenal glands are the body’s Vitamin-C reservoir and we must keep them healthy and strong to keep our resistance up.

Sugar; One (1) tablespoon of sugar will suppress the immune system for 4 hours. Consider that the average American consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year. I truly believe that this one fact is the reasons for the increasing rates of disease.

Sugar consumption is a problem for most during any time of the year but it can be a significant source of stress during the holiday season. Just like sleep, choose your sugar battles wisely. If you plan on indulging, exercise can reduce the sugar spikes. Exercise will help shunt or redirect some of extra sugar into usable glycogen or muscle fuel. If you can time your workouts so that you are eating your sweets no later than 3 hours after the workout, you may be able to take advantage of this “sugar shunting” technique.

Another tip is to eat all the major food groups before you start on your dessert. When we expose our taste buds to a variety of tastes and textures, it creates powerful sense of satiety. This will prevent you from overeating when it is time for dessert. Sample the different foods that are available. If you can get a small green salad, a cooked vegetable, a protein source and a complex carbohydrate source, this will expose the palate to all the necessary tastes and textures to satisfy the appetite center in the brain. Eating in this manner will make dessert even more enjoyable in my opinion because it then becomes the “cherry on top” rather than filling in a nutritional deficit.

Supplements; The reality is that we will all indulge during the holiday. This brings with it the increased consumption “non-foods”.  Another name for non-foods is called displacing foods, which means that the body must expend its own nutritional resources to process the non-food.  An easy way to fill in the holiday nutrition gaps is through supplementation. Supplementation should be in a natural and whole food form.  Increase your intake of antioxidants to boost immune capacity and support the processing of non-foods.

Suppression Detection; early detection of a potential bug can save you days of sick time and missing out on the holiday festivities. At the first sign of a tickle in your throat or runny nose, begin to relax before the tickle becomes a full-blown cold. Being able to detect a cold or flu is simply about self-awareness. When you wake in the morning, notice if your nose is runny or if your lymph nodes are swollen. In regards to lymph nodes, if the lurking bug is a head cold, the nodes in the neck will often swell. A lung or “chest” cold will often cause the nodes in the axilla or “armpits” to become overactive. It is not uncommon for people to experience arm or should pain just prior to an infection. The point is to mind your body or your body will do it for you.

Keep these 4 tips in mind as you enjoy this holiday and winter season. As simple as they are, they will keep you in the game with a smile on your face and eggnog in hand.

 

Terrence Thomas draws from 20 years of experience in health coaching, and exercise instruction.  The author of “Get Fit Now and Feel Great Forever, his company Hallandale based Expert Fitness Solutions gives clients control over the way they look, feel and perform by teaching the 6 foundational principles of health, fitness and vitality. For your complimentary Holistic Health Inventory contact Terrence at tt@physicalexcellence.org.