Summer is officially over for us living in the Northern Hemisphere. While the season change typically brings with it a slower pace, it's also a time where people find themselves getting run down and sick.
Sure, there's nothing wrong with catching a cold every once in a while, but building a strong immune system is a worthy precaution to take. You want your foundation to be able to protect you so that you can better handle this time of transition.
It's important to take into account both the mind and body when it comes to maintaining radiant health. A weak immune system is often the result of a combination of factors such as high stress, poor quality of sleep, being overworked, a lack of nutrient rich foods, and dealing with difficult emotional states.
Thankfully, there's plenty that you can do to stay on top of your health game this fall.
Here's where you can start:
1. Reduce your alcohol intake
When it's patio season everyone likes to indulge a little more than usual; now is the right time to cut back. High amounts of alcohol have been shown to weaken a person's immune system and make them more susceptible to the development of infections.
What you can do: Enjoy no more than four alcoholic beverages per week. Opt for a glass of sparkling water with freshly squeezed lemon instead.
2. Up your sunshine vitamin
From the months of October to April, our sunshine exposure is significantly reduced, limiting the amount of Vitamin D we receive. Vitamin D plays a huge role in healthy immunity; in fact Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with an increased vulnerability to infection.
What you can do: Use a high quality Vitamin D3 supplement during these months. Make sure to work with your health care practitioner so that they can give you the appropriate dosage for your body's individual needs.
3. Get back to a regular sleep schedule
Focus on setting up a healthy routine for yourself that involves a structured sleep schedule. Summertime tends to be more of a free for all. It's wedding season, there's lots of late nights, and tons of cool festivals and events. Now it's time to nurture your body and mind back to a place where there is consistency and regularity.
What you can do: Commit to going to bed and waking up at the same time at least five days a week.
4. Make bone broth soup a kitchen staple
Bone broth is one of the most healing foods, containing health promoting minerals, collagen, and amino acids. It can be extremely beneficial to the body during cold and flu season when you might need that extra support. It's also a very warming and easy to digest meal that's simple to make.
What you can do: Eat bone broth soup once a week. You can either make it yourself or find a local butcher or health food store that has made-for-you broths.
5. Give back
One of the best ways to add a little radiance to your health is to give back to others. It's so easy to get stuck in a place where we're only thinking about things that directly affect our life. It's even easier to forget about our ability to be compassionate beings and to actually take action with our most humane side. Acts of kindness do wonders for the soul of both the giver and the receiver.
What you can do: It doesn't have to take up a lot of time or be a grandiose thing, you can simply buy a meal for someone in need, clean out your closet and give away some of the clothes that are just sitting there, or donate your time in a soup kitchen.
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Remember, our health is a gift and something that we must nurture. Start where you can, do what feels right for your needs, and be open and willing to make the necessary changes.