We’ve made it through Halloween and Thanksgiving, now we still have the December holidays (Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah) and the New Year to get through! Because these holidays often involve traveling and spending money, a lot of people find this time of year stressful. Stress can cause a variety of physical problems, from raising blood pressure and blood sugar to lowering our immune systems’ defenses (making us more susceptible to contracting contagious diseases such as the cold and flu). Add to that changing temperatures, cold rain and/or “wintery precipitation” and it can be quite the battle to stay healthy!
In order to stay healthy, we need to focus on the things we can control, which include our diet, physical activity, and personal hygiene. Moderate exercise has been shown to both relieve stress and boost our immune systems. For those reasons, it is very important that you do not let your exercise slide during this time of year. You may think that you do not have time to exercise, but what you really do not have time for is to get sick! If you get sick, you may have to miss work and you may not have the energy to run all your errands. Exercise is non-negotiable, you need to take time for at least 30 minutes TOTAL of moderate exercise 5 times each week if you want to stay healthy. Keep in mind that you can break this up into 3 bouts of 10 minutes each, or 2 bouts of 15 minutes each. By breaking your exercise up, it can often be easier to get in.
What can you do for 10-30 minutes? You can go for a walk, stretch, do some body weight exercises (such as push ups, chair dips, crunches, etc.), etc. Ideally, over the week you will get in 3 different types of exercise: “cardio” or “aerobic” type exercise (such as walking), strength training, and stretching. A great resource for short exercise routines is Runner's World magazine. You can search for exercises targeting your hips, knees, feet, and core. Many of these routines can be done in 10-15 minutes. Another good source is the Whole Living website. They have 4 different categories of exercise routines: build strength, walking + other cardio, yoga + pilates, and “easy routines.”
Of course you also want to make sure you are eating foods that will help boost your immune system. These include yogurt with live & active cultures, a variety of fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, tea (green, black, or herbals such as ginger), and prepare foods with garlic, ginger, and onions. All of these foods have potential to help fight disease, either through antioxidants or their anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
In addition, make sure you wash your hands often! The CDC states that “hand washing is the single most important method for preventing infectious disease.” We need to wash our hand before we eat and every time we get our hands dirty. Also, avoid touching your “T” zone (eyes, nose, and mouth). Whenever we touch surfaces such as doorknobs, tabletops, shopping carts, etc., we are likely exposing ourselves to germs that could make us sick, so it is super important we do not transmit those germs into our bodies by rubbing our eyes, biting our nails, etc. And if you have to cough or sneeze, do not cover your mouth and nose with your hands, use a tissue or if tissues are not available, cough or sneeze into you arm, that way you do not go on to contaminate other surfaces with your hands.
And last but not least, if you do get sick, stay home! Be mindful of how you may inadvertently spread your illness. Do not go to work or to the gym or meet your running/cycling/swimming group where you can get others sick.
In order to stay healthy, we need to focus on the things we can control, which include our diet, physical activity, and personal hygiene. Moderate exercise has been shown to both relieve stress and boost our immune systems. For those reasons, it is very important that you do not let your exercise slide during this time of year. You may think that you do not have time to exercise, but what you really do not have time for is to get sick! If you get sick, you may have to miss work and you may not have the energy to run all your errands. Exercise is non-negotiable, you need to take time for at least 30 minutes TOTAL of moderate exercise 5 times each week if you want to stay healthy. Keep in mind that you can break this up into 3 bouts of 10 minutes each, or 2 bouts of 15 minutes each. By breaking your exercise up, it can often be easier to get in.
What can you do for 10-30 minutes? You can go for a walk, stretch, do some body weight exercises (such as push ups, chair dips, crunches, etc.), etc. Ideally, over the week you will get in 3 different types of exercise: “cardio” or “aerobic” type exercise (such as walking), strength training, and stretching. A great resource for short exercise routines is Runner's World magazine. You can search for exercises targeting your hips, knees, feet, and core. Many of these routines can be done in 10-15 minutes. Another good source is the Whole Living website. They have 4 different categories of exercise routines: build strength, walking + other cardio, yoga + pilates, and “easy routines.”
Of course you also want to make sure you are eating foods that will help boost your immune system. These include yogurt with live & active cultures, a variety of fruits and vegetables, some whole grains, tea (green, black, or herbals such as ginger), and prepare foods with garlic, ginger, and onions. All of these foods have potential to help fight disease, either through antioxidants or their anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.
In addition, make sure you wash your hands often! The CDC states that “hand washing is the single most important method for preventing infectious disease.” We need to wash our hand before we eat and every time we get our hands dirty. Also, avoid touching your “T” zone (eyes, nose, and mouth). Whenever we touch surfaces such as doorknobs, tabletops, shopping carts, etc., we are likely exposing ourselves to germs that could make us sick, so it is super important we do not transmit those germs into our bodies by rubbing our eyes, biting our nails, etc. And if you have to cough or sneeze, do not cover your mouth and nose with your hands, use a tissue or if tissues are not available, cough or sneeze into you arm, that way you do not go on to contaminate other surfaces with your hands.
And last but not least, if you do get sick, stay home! Be mindful of how you may inadvertently spread your illness. Do not go to work or to the gym or meet your running/cycling/swimming group where you can get others sick.
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