02/13/2026
How can you help your body stay healthy and build up your natural defenses through the cold and flue season?
Start with simple lifestyle tweaks that feel empowering and doable.
- Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
- Do regular gentle exercises, such as a 30-minute walk outdoors most days to boost your circulation and mood.
- Manage your stress through deep breathing or short meditations to calm the "fight or flight" response that otherwise drains your energy.
- Focus your diet on colorful, whole foods: load up on citrus fruits, berries, and leafy greens for natural vitamin C to support white blood cell function.
- Eat fatty fish or fortified foods for vitamin D, which acts like a shield against respiratory bugs.
- Add nuts, seeds, and lean proteins to your diet for zinc, which is a key player in shortening cold symptoms.
- Consider taking supplements like vitamin D (1,000-2,000 IU daily, after checking with your practitioner), zinc (15-30 mg daily during the cold season), or elderberry syrup (follow package doses) to potentially ease symptoms and fight off infection. Always chat with a healthcare pro before starting supplements, especially if you have health conditions, to ensure that they're safe for you.
By weaving these steps into your routine, you'll feel more in control and ready to enjoy the season with a new and healthy you despite the winter season sicknesses going around.
