Feel Better!

Hey guys! I’m feeling a little under the weather this week, and it has gotten me thinking about what I can do to get well. I have a few go-to practices that I do when I’m sick, and I thought I’d share them with you!

Clean Sheets/Towels: Germs LOVE sheets and towels. So, as soon as you start to feel better, change them out for clean ones! Otherwise, you will keep dousing yourself in the old, nasty germs and it will take you much longer to get better.

NeilMed: NeilMed is a lot like Neti Pots, but it is a little squirt bottle that you fill up with water that has been boiled (so that it is pathogen-free) and add a packet of what is basically salt. After you shake it up, you open your mouth wide, squirt it up one nostril, and BAM! All the nasty comes out the other. If you are squeamish, it may take some getting used to, but this thing is a miracle worker. If I was stranded on an island, this would be one of the things I made sure I had with me. I’ve noticed that, other than the whole cleaning-out-your-sinuses thing, the NeilMed also makes my skin look a TON better. I swear it! At first I was like, “there is no way” but every time I use it after not having used it for a while, I notice an improvement. When I am sick, I use it at least two times a day. I recommend doing it once a day when you are healthy.

Emergen-C Packets: These things are pretty popular, so you probably have heard of them. In case you haven’t, though, they are little packets full of powdered vitamins and minerals. You pour the contents into a glass of water, stir, and drink up! The second you start to feel sick, do this. It can keep any colds or sicknesses at bay!

Facials: I admit, I don’t do this one nearly as much as I should. No, it isn’t actually a facial, but it is similar. When my sinuses are super, super clogged, I fill a bowl with boiling water, lean over it, and put a towel around my head and the bowl so no steam will escape. This encourages mucus to leave your sinuses. Be prepared to blow your nose a lot afterwards! I recommend sitting over the bowl for 5 to 10 minutes.

Sweat it Out: This one is something I learned from my mama. She always told me that working out when you are sick can really help you feel better. It is the same principle of a sauna—you are sweating out toxins. In addition, I believe that getting your heart rate up loosens up any congestion you have and revives your immune system. Also, the increased oxygen levels in your blood due to rapid breathing increases cell turnover, meaning that your body can heal faster. Don’t do it if you are super sick and might pass out, but if you can, go for a walk or a jog next time you have a cold and you’ll notice a difference!

But what about new things? I started thinking about how my diet affects my health. We all know the truth behind “you are what you eat”, but I always liked to think that I was doing okay. I shined a light on what I eat, though, and it isn’t as healthy as I had thought.

The amount of processed food that I eat is horrendous. Even though most of what I eat is organic, the fact that at least half of it comes in a wrapper makes me feel like I am not giving my body what it needs. For lunch on weekends, it is so easy to grab a bar and a yogurt rather than actually preparing a meal. So, that is going to change. Today for lunch, for example, I will make myself a super-healthy smoothie. J

Another factor in my diet that is leading to my blah-ness is the amount of refined sugar and carbohydrates that I eat. My favorite snacks are chocolate and some sort of seemingly-healthy multigrain chips. Yeah, in comparison, I could be eating funnel cake and Doritos, but I know that I can do better. So, I am not making any ultimatums or promises, but I am going to make a strong effort to not eat those things if I can.

That’s all that I’ve got for now, but I’ll keep you posted! What are your go-to methods of staying/getting healthy?

xoxo