The Weekly Fill: 25 Immune Boosting Tips
4 min read | Did you know, winter is one of the most healing seasons? Get the full details inside.
You can think yourself sick.
Just like you can think yourself healthy.
It's not a perfect equation. Just because you think something doesn't make it a reality. But what you believe has tremendous power over what you think, and what you think changes how your body responds.
Your emotions change your biology. And what you speak changes your hormones and immune response.
So yes, you can think yourself sick or think yourself well. All based on what you believe and speak over your body.
Let me remind you:
Your body is incredible!
That statement is why I mention the need to change your view of cold and flu season. Instead of implying that coming down with a cold or the flu is inevitable, try shifting that to something positive.
Let's call it immune-boosting season.
And with that, marvel at how resilient and capable your body is at keeping you healthy. And then get to work to support it to stay that way.
Fun facts:
Roughly 25% of your genetic makeup shifts with the seasons.
In the winter, your blood contains a denser blend of immune responders. Plus, your gut microbiome shifts to absorb more and different nutrients needed to boost your immune system (1).
Winter is one of our most healing seasons.
Winter gets a bad rap. But the shorter days offer more sleep, and slower nights give the body time to heal. Of course, you have to make seasonal changes for this to play out.
Winter is one of the best seasons to shed excess weight.
Your body’s metabolism speeds up to compensate for the cold months. Of course, this can be dependent on other factors, especially your basal body temperature, but in someone who remains physically active and nourishes their body through nutrient-dense food and lifestyle choices, winter is the best time to lose weight.
Of course, that means eating in a metabolically nourishing way. If you need help, check out my fall batch cooking guide, which gives you easy and practical recipes to boost your metabolism this winter.
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Why does none of that seem true?
All of that sounds great, but you may be wondering, why isn’t that true?
Fair question!
The only thing that matters is that it works for you.
That means you have to shift your view of health from something that happens to you to something you create.
You have to learn the art of creating health.
Creating health is doing something to produce it and shifting as your body shifts. The first step is doing something.
Nothing happens if you don’t do something. And nothing changes if you don’t change.
My best 25 immune-boosting tip
Keep your skin moisturized. Your skin is your first line of defense. Get my full (and very basic) winter skincare routine here.
Moisturize your nostrils. It will help kill airborne pathogens.
Stop eating raw vegetables and shift to cooked veggies.
Skip cold foods and smoothies.
Stop wearing sunglasses on your morning and evening commute (sunlight needs to hit your pupils to help regulate your circadian clock).