This is the time and season when the weather changes, we get prepared for the holidays and the opportunities for colds or flus coming around is much more than any other time of year. Thankfully, there are many ways to boost our immune systems to give them the best possible response. I’d like to highlight just a few ways in this article, but there are actually many more things we can do to give ourselves a successful winter and holiday season. If I were to write them all out, we’d have a book on our hands.
I used to prepare for colds when I got them (haha). I’d make all the wonderful healthful concoctions I had on file and start pumping myself full of powerful nutrients, hoping my body would heal from the cold quicker than normal. Over time, I found that while those things likely gave me a small boost, it wasn’t what I actually needed to heal quicker. It was frustrating. How could I be injecting all this health into my system and still be sick?
The simple truth: our bodies are much more complex than that. If all we had to do was eat an orange to get better immediately, everyone would do it.
Build the Walls
We will actually do far better in this season if we focus on getting our systems strong and healthy long before we even get sick. I suppose that might sound obvious, but sometimes we think we’re invincible until we get sick (whether it’s a cold or any illness). The truth is, our bodies are in a constant state of either fighting or inviting sickness. What we eat, drink, think, and how we live our lives either give our bodies what it needs to be strengthened, or it tears down the walls of defense. So in order to ward off sickness and build our immune systems, we need to focus on what CAN do to build our defense systems internally and remove as many things as we can that tear those walls down.
If you picture a wooden house that has potential termites, you’ll get the idea. If you want the structure of the house to stand long-term, you have to both get rid of the termites that tear the house down from the inside out, as well as do things for the house that help protect it and keep it standing strong for the long haul. You wouldn’t want the electrical wires exposed, a leaky roof, etc.
A Fun Link
On to building our internal systems: Did you know that your metabolism is actually linked to how long you keep a cold in your system, or whether you’ll be more susceptible to disease? A fast metabolism is way more than just the ability to lose weight quickly.
Bonus: boosting your immune system will also boost your overall health, energy, and weight!
Webster’s dictionary defines metabolism as: “specifically : the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated.” In simple words, it’s the ability for our bodies to change.
I’m not intending on writing about increasing our metabolism here. But what I’m highlighting in regards to the interconnectedness of our bodies is important. If we think that we can suddenly “turn on” our system’s ability to heal itself quickly when we are already down, then we have misunderstood how our bodies work. I’ve been there. Again, I worked this way for many years: live life “abundantly,” and then try to heal quickly when I’m already down and sick. It didn’t really work and eventually I did get too sick to recover. Unfortunately, many people live this way. Our eyes aren’t usually open or aware of our immune system until we are sick, whether it’s a simple cold, flu, or something far more serious.
The good news: our bodies are specially designed to heal themselves given the right environment.
So in summary, if we start to live now in such a way that gives us energy, strength, and health, we increase both our metabolism and our body’s ability to fight off sickness and disease 10x quicker when and if it comes our way. (Sometimes you can’t avoid the common cold when people around you are sick, but you do have the choice to build a system that kicks a cold out in a couple of hours instead of weeks).
A Few Tips for Increasing Our Defense Systems
#1 = Sleep
We must get enough sleep each night. This is imperative for all areas, whether we want to lose weight or boost our immune system or be highly productive. It is not worth it to lose sleep in order to be more productive, to exercise, etc. Most of us know this, but in this productive day and age, we see sleep as the number one thing to be depleted when life gets busy.
So, why should you care about your sleep as top priority? During sleep, our bodies produce special chemicals to help us repair damage and rebuild. Without proper sleep, those functions don’t take place and our metabolism slows way down, we don’t rebuild muscles, aiding in gaining weight and majorly slowing down our immune system. It’s widely studied and demonstrated that a lack of sleep is closely linked to weight gain and conversely, weight loss is easier with enough sleep. You can build or tear down your body’s defense systems by getting enough sleep.
Goal: Aim for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night.
Plan ahead and put other things aside to make sure you have the recharge you need each night.
#2 = Anti-Inflammatory Foods
The buzz word for the last few years has been “antioxidants.” Foods, vitamins, drinks have all been labeled “high in antioxidants.” But the real anti-oxidants should be found in real, whole plant-foods. A pill cannot give you all that is inside of a fruit or vegetable. There are multitudes of nutrients in whole foods that are still being studied. They’ve been shown to aid in lowering cancer risk, increasing cardiovascular health, helping to heal auto-immune diseases, improving vision, increasing energy levels, helping the digestive tract, healing heart disease and diabetes, and so much more. If these little powerhouses are known for all of that, then imagine what they can do to help our bodies fight against the common cold.
Goal: Aim to increase your fruit and vegetable intake this season.
Shoot for upwards of 5 servings per day (this can be made easier by having a fruit and a veggie for each meal).
#3 = Reduce Stress
Did you know that your body doesn’t know the difference between stress caused by a bear chasing after you, a deadline at work, lack of sleep, family or relational issues, stress caused by poor food choices, or just negative stressful thoughts.
Goal: Find one way to invite rest & reduce stress to your week. Here are some ideas:
- Take 5 minutes to close your eyes and breathe deeply
- Look at the major stressors: Is there a way to reduce them? If not, is there a way to reframe the way you perceive them?
- Do something each week that you enjoy. Not something you have to do, but something that brings you joy.
- This season coming up can be very busy for many of us. Schedule some time in advance into your schedule to rest. (Just like we schedule parties, potlucks, and gatherings, we can also schedule time for ourselves to rest).
#4 = Move Your Body
Did you notice that I did not say go out and train for a marathon? If that’s your jam, then definitely enjoy it, but my encouragement to you is to just move your body. This can be as simple as walking 10 minutes 3 times a day. A simple tactic: do a short walk after each meal. Our bodies were made to move. Find what brings you joy and get out there and move a little each and every day. Movement helps to regenerate our cells, increase our metabolism, boost our immune system, and even gives us more energy and focus.
Goal: Start where you are and work slowly up to 30 minutes of movement 5-6 days.
Again, this doesn’t have to be an entire training regimen and can be as simple as a few 10 minute walks or stretch breaks. Start where you are. Any movement is better than no movement.
Some ideas for movement:
- Get a trampoline (rebounder) and bounce for 5 minutes.
- Find a body weight strength routine that you can do for 10-30 minutes.
- Go outside for a walk. (Even 5 minutes will give you the benefit of fresh air, sunlight, and movement)
- Go for a swim, a bike, a hike, or a run.
- Park at the other end of the parking lot so that your walk is a little further (that’s 2 short walks right there!)
- Grab a friend and workout together.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Stand up each hour and take 2-5 minutes to stretch, move, and walk.
I bless your body, soul, and spirit with strength and health this winter and holiday season. May you have the energy you need, the health you’re longing for, and may rest be accessible in this season.
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Kirsten Larsen is a wholeness coach, helping people experience freedom and breakthrough in body, soul, and spirit.
