Happy Thursday!

One more day until the weekend. I am excited! Especially since I woke up yesterday morning absolutely exhausted, and with a really sore throat.

When I woke up feeling crappy, my mind instantly went to prevention. What can I do so that this doesn’t progress into a full-on cold? It’s pretty rare for me to get sick- I actually can’t remember the last time I had a cold (friends that are reading- can you remember?) This winter, when all those terrible flus and colds were going around, I managed to skip right through it. Mark had a cold for about a month in January, and I remained healthy the entire time.

This is suppose to me “hiding” from the germs

So I wanted to share my tips with you guys for how I keep myself from getting sick:

1) I never utter the words “I’m getting sick”. Instead, I say, “I’m fighting something off.” You may laugh at how ridiculous it sounds- but honestly, it works. The power of suggestion is extremely important! Have you guys ever heard of the placebo effect? It’s when patients are given a placebo (aka: a pill that does nothing), and they are told what the drug SHOULD do, and people start experiencing those effects (often times it’s related to pain reduction, and sometimes even physical side effects, like reduced swelling, etc.). And it’s all because they expect to feel something.

Why would fighting off a cold by any different? Please, try it out before you scoff because I’ve seriously noticed a difference since I started doing this.

2) I really take the time to nourish myself. I don’t go and work out, and instead I’ll read, have a bath, drink tea and really focus on getting well. I’ve heard so many things about “If you’re sick, how to decide if you should go to the gym” and for me, it’s just not worth it. Going to a yoga class is something I do because I love yoga. I’m not going to go just so that I can hit my quota for the week.

I also really try and nourish myself by making food choices which I feel will really help my body be strong. I always try and eat healthy, but when I’m getting sick, I try and make it even more of a priority. That includes things like kale chips, blood oranges, chicken noodle soup (which when Mark makes it has between 2-3 BULBS of garlic in it), and for dinner last night, honey salmon with quinoa Mediterranean salad (I love this salad so much):

3) Vitamin it up! I started to feel sick so I busted out:

Vitamin C- Studies suggest that Vitamin C actually doesn’t help fight off a cold, or reduce the amount of time you have a cold by much. However, on the research I’ve linked to, it mentions people who are living in extreme cold experienced their cold symptoms halved. Considering it is currently -15 with the wind, I am counting that as extreme cold! Movies like “Food Matters’” also had amazing things to say about Vitamin C and the effect on the body, so I take that every day.

Oil of Oregano- this one I just started today. Oregano is high in antioxidants, but reports of whether it helps with colds and flus are debated. When I was googling the results of this, I came across evidence telling me it would cure practically any problem I’ve ever had (improve respiratory health, strengthen the immune system, strengthen joints and muscles, etc.), and evidence that suggested it does nothing at all (the US Federal Trade Commission brought legal action against a firm for claiming it helped your immunity). I’ve had several friends recommend this to me though, so I figured I’d give it a try.

Cold FX- Is cold FX available world wide? I know it started in Canada and I love the stuff! As is with everything on the internet, there are reports that it does great things, and reports it does nothing at all. I took Cold FX the entire time Mark was sick, and I didn’t get sick- so I’m counting that a win for Cold FX.

3) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

My mom is a Nurse, and I’ll always remember growing up, when someone got a cold or flu- that was always her advice. You NEED to be hydrated to help your body function at its peak. Since I woke up with such a sore throat, I’ve been drinking a ton of hot tea. My favourite is:

I have an entire blog post coming up soon about teas (I have a small addiction to loose tea) but this tea is fantastic. It’s an herbal tea, and is very, very minty. I’m loving the relief it gives me for my throat.

4) Lots of sleep.

I’m really bad for staying up way later than I should (I’m a victim of the “just going to do one more thing” ), however, when I feel like I’m fighting something off, I try and go to bed as early as I possibly can. The more sleep I can get, the happier I am.

How about everyone else? What are your tips and tricks for staying healthy? I’d love to hear them!