How To Increase Immunity as the Weather Gets Colder
I just got back from Sri Lanka, an island off the southern tip of India where I was holding a luxury health retreat. I come back home after experiencing tropical weather every day of my luxury health retreat that I put on to come back to extremely cold weather.
Too many people just assume that coughs and colds are a normal part of this change in seasons.
It’s not true.
Entrepreneurs don’t have time to deal with colds and coughs.
Let me teach you how to build a titanium immune system.
When I travel to the middle east to work with the royal family, or asia to hold a seminar or luxury health retreat then fly over to England to meet with some clients in London, I get rapid time zone changes and climate changes. Most people feel jet lagged and often “catch” bugs throughout the process. This doesn’t happen to me.
Keeping your immune system optimized is important all year round but you may need to pay particular attention to boosting it as we head into winter. As busy entrepreneurs time off is sometimes not an option, so try my top tips below for boosting your immune system to stay energized and still feeling great this winter!
1. Try these immune boosting superfoods
Eating lots of fibrous vegetables and healthy fats is a great way to start providing your immune system with all the nutrients it needs to really be functioning optimally. Add in the superfoods below and you have an anti-oxidant rich, immune boosting cocktail to keep you going all winter.
Garlic
Garlic is so easy to incorporate into most meals, soups, or roasted veggie dishes you are making and has so many health benefits. In fact, a study in the UK showed that that the participants taking garlic were 75% less likely to come down with a cold than the other participants. It has been used for centuries to treat colds, chest infections and as it is rich in antioxidant it helps protect your cells by neutralizing free radicals that can cause cell damage.
Turmeric
Turmeric has a whole host of anti-inflammatory properties and can be great for giving your immune system that boost it may need. Try adding turmeric to your food or you can try swapping out a coffee for a turmeric tea. Tim Ferris from the 4 Hour Work Week likes to start the day adding turmeric to his morning for all day energy. Check out his video HERE.
Ashwaganda
Ashwaganda has been used traditionally in Ayurvedic healing for its ability to strengthen the immune system, reduce inflammation in the body, boost energy and prolong longevity. I spoke with Jesse van der Velde (Europe’s #1 Superfood expert) in more depth about Ashwaganda and the benefits on the superhuman entrepreneur podcast HERE.
Ashwaganda is also an adaptogen, which helps your body’s resistance to stress. And as a busy entrepreneur stress may be wearing down your immune system leaving you susceptible to colds and infections.
Holy Basil
Another great adaptogen and stress buster is holy basil. This herb has a whole myriad of healing properties and is easy to drink as a tea. Make yourself a cup if you feel a cold coming on however it can also be helpful for your digestion and headaches.
2. Get some sleep
Sleep. One of the most often undervalued health hacks you can do to get your body and mind performing at its best! And massively important for your immune system. A lack of sleep can make you more prone to catching a cold or the flu!
And I realise that prioritising this can be hard but I have put together a three part series on sleep hacks (start HERE) to help you hack you sleep so even if you cant increase the quantity you can bump up the quality.
3. Move more
Research actually shows that having exercise as a part of your lifestyle can actually help prevent colds and flu as well as help you get over them faster if you do catch something.
Exercise actually boosts the immune system and don’t think that you need to workout for hours at the gym to get the benefits. Even a 20-minute walk can provide benefits or try a short High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Session (find out more about HIIT HERE).
4. Get a healthy gut
Did you know that cells in your body are actually outnumbered 10 -1 by bacteria?
Well your body is actually made up of a complex ecosystem of microbes. Including bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa that live on and in your body, including in your gut.
The health and composition of your microbiome in your gut can have an effect on all aspects of your health. Including the strength of your immune system and how you deal with disease.
Pharmaceutical drugs, environmental toxins, chemicals, stress, toxic foods and excess refined sugars all play a part in destroying those healthy gut bacteria. However there are also a number of foods you can eat to boost the balance in your microbiome to improve your immune system function. These include probiotics and prebiotic foods. Check my article HERE where I go over one of the best types of probiotic foods you can eat to boost your immune system, fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir and kimchi.
5. Supplements
Although there are so many whole food ways to boost your immune system this winter, if you feel you need a little more support than a high quality supplement can definitely be the way to go. However all supplements are not created equal. Make sure you get a recommendation from a health professional like a naturopath or check out the Designer Health Centers store HERE for the supplements that my family and I all use to keep our immune system functioning optimally!
- A high quality multi-vitamin (Spectra 1 & 2) – this is the purest form of highest bio-available micronutrients on the market and can help to overcome micronutrient deficiencies that may be having an effect on the function of your immune system. Spectra 1 includes water soluble vitamins and minerals and spectra 2 fat soluble vitamins. Together they are one of the most comprehensive multi-vitamins you can take and it’s the one I choose for my family.
More High Performance Strategies
Want to know what else a high performing doctor does to prevent colds and flu as we head into winter? Dr Accurso explains his personal tips all the way from the beautiful mountains he is currently vacationing in. Check them out below!
I hope these tips help you prevent a cold or flu this winter so you can continue to perform at a high level feeling energized! Some of them sound simple but can be soo powerful when implemented into your daily habits!
To find out more about your health and whether a customized approach is the way to go for you, take our High Performance Quiz. Click below!
