Winter isn’t coming, winter is here! And let me tell you, it’s a cold one. It seems every winter there is someone struggling with the sniffles, a cold, cough or stuffy nose. While it would be nice to have a super pill to keep our immune systems fully charged, unfortunately, that is not the case. Fighting off winter bugs isn’t about just smothering yourself with orange juice.
In order to effectively boost your immune system, it’s about a harmonious mix of superfoods, stress reduction and getting your shine on.
Take action quickly with my tips below, nourish your body with the right, whole, and healthy foods and give yourself a fighting chance to beat those bugs if they do come knocking on your door (You’ll be feeling so strong you’ll beat ‘em right back!).
Eat the good stuff
Start surrounding yourself with the good stuff, and I’m talking fruit, veg and all of the nutrients. Don’t be afraid to get spicy! Cook with those spices that are chockers of the good things ( antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties). I’m talking ginger, turmeric, rosemary, cayenne pepper and enough garlic to kill a family of vampires. The most wholesome, disease-fighting fats come from seeds, nuts, avocado, extra virgin coconut oil and olive oil. Berries and fruits have the highest level of antioxidant, so get out your TIFFXO meal plan and get into one of my favourites at the moment: my TIFFXO Berry and Avocado Smoothie bowl. Eat a diet rich in greens, especially cruciferous vegetables high in Vitamin C high foods such as kiwi, berries, cabbage, and broccoli.
Keep it clean
We often transfer colds to each other from sneezing, coughing or just blowing our noses and touching everything around us. Make sure you keep up with washing your hands as it can stop you from passing these mean germs between your friends and family. Keeping up with cleanliness could save you from that cold floating around your office!
Winter is no excuse
Don’t use winter as an excuse to avoid exercise. I know it’s hard to stay motivated when it’s so bloody cold but exercise is vital to keeping colds at bay. Your lounge room is your gym and your body your equipment. Rain is no longer an excuse. Try grabbing yourself a fit pal and do a TIFFXO sesh together or try something new to spice it up. Exercise is vital to building your immune system, by providing a boost to the cells in the body that attack bacteria, and keeping colds at bay.
Time to destress
You know what the common cold LOVES? Stress. Have you found that when you’re run down you also feel all kinds of sickly too? Turns out stress has been known to cause up to 50% of our immune deficiencies. Try some mindfulness or some relaxation breathing, listen to my TIFFXO podcast “Crappy to Happy”, take up some yoga or tai chi and encourage your body to de-stress and relax. Even a cuppa tea in your fave chair will do the trick!
Make sleep a priority
Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Good sleep can help with our stress levels, fight off disease, can improve and help your mental health as well as those pesky winter colds. By letting your body rest overnight, it gives it time to repair and keeps that immune system strong!
Up your Vitamins
Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, helping ward off SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and important to strengthen our immune system. We are often deficient in winter so try and get outside a few times a week for 20 minutes, even if it feels like there is no sun out! It is still working its immune and bone strengthening magic. Supplements rich in zinc are helpful for the older Ninja keep their immunity in check and echinacea supplements can also help support your immune system and help reduce your length and severity of your cold.
Keep drinking
Just because the sun isn’t blaring down on us, it doesn’t mean that water isn’t still super essential. Not only is it replenishing your lost hydration, it also will help energise your muscles, flush out toxins and help your body move around.
My TIFFXO winter warmer recipes are chockers full of the good stuff and is sure to help banish those winter bugs leaving you happy, content, healthy and warm. Plus my amazing Ninja Community is always there to provide love and support for those days where we need a bit of extra shiny TLC.
Article by Tiffany Hall
Tiffiny is one of the highest qualified female martial artists in the world for her age. She is a 6th Dan Taekwondo black belt and one of Australia’s most recognised female martial artists.
Tiffiny has practiced and studied self-defense, mixed martial arts, and Taekwondo for over 25 years. She is the daughter of an Olympic Taekwondo coach and black belt mother.
W: www.tiffxo.com
