We all know how to avoid colds by eating clean and exercising. But what should you do if you're officially going down with the ship? Here are my 12 steps to kicking the cold!
1. Sleep - Sleep is really the only cure all in my opinion. If you're starting to feel sick or are already a full blown petri dish, get some sleep. Schedule in a nap or make an effort to get to bed early or change your schedule to sleep in later. Trust me, it's worth making sleep a priority when the majority of healing and cell regeneration happens in our sleep!
2. Water - Like until you can't stand another drop! I always add lemon for a Vitamin C boost. Aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces at the VERY least.
3. Fish Oil - Double up on your fish oil, shoot for around 24oo mg per day. If you can stomach eating 3-4 servings of oily, wild caught, cold water fish per week during your cold, then you just win at life. I opt for the supplement because the thought of fish when I'm sick is horrifying.
4. Vitamin D3 - 5000 IU per day is about all you should take. You can over do it on D3 so just make sure that you're taking the recommended amount each day during a cold.
5. Vitamin C - Aim for 120 mg per day during a cold. Normal dosages for women are around 75 mg so somewhere in there. See "Counter Attack" below.
6. Probiotic - If you can stomach eating sauerkraut or kimchee when you're sick, high fives to you!! If not, try this coconut water kefir. It tastes delicious and is loaded with probiotic organisms. Remember, 70% of our immune system lives in our gut!
6. Green juice - If you have a juicer, make yourself a green juice. Aim for 1 fruit and however many veggies you can stand. It might not taste as good as your apple/pineapple/watermelon juice but you need the green nutrients more than the sugar. Cucumber, ginger and turmeric are all required!
7. Ban Sugar - absolutely NO added sugar of any kind. I'd even recommend limiting fruit when you're sick unless its lemons or oranges for their vitamin c.
8. Counter Attack - this stuff is magical. When I start to feel sick I take about 6 of these per day. Your pee will be bright orange but I've thwarted off several colds with these supplements.
9. Bone Broth - I never feel like making bone broth when I'm sick because it takes a full 24 hours. Do yourself a favor and make a big batch of this today and pop it in the freezer. I also love to store some in ice cube containers.
10. Essential Oils - I'm a Young Living girl. I don't buy them with the intent to build a team or "sell" them to any of my friends. I'm just a firm believer in the quality and purity. I like to diffuse a blend of peppermint, lemon and lavender, I also rub these on my ears and feet. YL also has a blend called "Theives" and it's supposed to be antimicrobial and antiviral that I like to diffuse.
11. Kick the Sick Chicken Soup - I also like to keep a batch of this in the freezer. It's the best chicken soup I've ever made, hands down. Ready for a hot bowl of awesome?
Live to Thrive,
Lauren
