Staying Healthy Through The Winter In Schaumburg

Many people believe that everybody gets sick in the winter because there are more bacteria and viruses in the air. However, this isn’t necessarily the case. People tend to become ill more during the “flu” season because their resistance tends to be lower during the winter months. Keeping your resistance strong, decreases your risk of becoming ill. It’s as simple as that. Read on to learn about what staying healthy in Schaumburg looks like to us!

WHY IS RESISTANCE LOWER THIS TIME OF YEAR? THERE ARE FOUR MAIN FACTORS…

1. Beginning with Halloween and going through Valentine’s Day, we eat too much sugar and we tend to overeat to insulate ourselves. Sugar weakens the immune system dramatically. So the refined sugar in candy, cookies and other sweets will dramatically lower our resistance.
2. We become more sedentary during the winter months because it is too cold to play outside. Additionally, in the midwest and the north, there is less sunshine, which means less conversion of Vitamin D (a key player in our immune function).
3. We tend to drink less water in the winter because we're not hot. But the dry heat of the furnace dehydrates us much faster. Less water in the body means we cannot flush out toxins, bacteria, and viruses as easily.
4. We become OVERSTRESSED during the holidays. The current state of the world, a global pandemic, driving in bad weather, financial overload, and worrying over family to name a few stressors. Stress is a key factor in lowering our resistance.

TO STAY HEALTHY AND INCREASE YOUR RESISTANCE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, REMEMBER TO:

1. Avoid too much sugar (2 tsp of sugar dramatically weakens our immune system).
2. Maintain a healthy diet (more alkaline & lower glycemic food & drink choices).
3. Keep in motion and exercise regularly. Even a short walk daily helps dramatically with our health and well-being.
4. Drink the same amount of water as you might in the summer (1/2 your body weight in ounces).
5. Take yoga, meditate, or anything that relaxes you as often as possible.
6. Take between 5000 iu and 10,000 iu of Vitamin D throughout the winter months and go out in the sunshine when able.
7. Keep a bottle of Zinc Lozenges and CongaPlex handy. Both help the body’s immune system. Sore or scratchy throats respond well to Zinc Lozenges.
8. Get regular chiropractic adjustments which can help to strengthen the immune system & keep you healthy.
9. KEEP A GOOD ATTITUDE... LAUGH & SMILE OFTEN!