Fall is our time to restore, replenish and ground.
And that includes, taking care of our health and wellbeing.
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With fall also being the peak of cold and flu season, caring for our health and the quality in which we are nurturing ourselves is crucial. Below are some ways that you can support yourself during fall and the coming colder months.
Get morning sunlight exposure, upon rising. And if accessible, practice grounding at the same time by standing in the grass and letting the sunlight beam on your face. Bonus points for exposing your eyes to the light as well, vitamin D is readily absorbed through our retinas. If where you live doesn’t have a lot of sunlight during the colder months, consider investing in a portable sun light such as Circadian Optics or Sperti)
Up level your shower game. Dry brush your skin, to increase lymphatic drainage. Followed by a cold shower to rinse off the dead skin and oil your body post shower. I love using almond oil on my face, argan oil on my body and castor oil on my scalp.
Sip on warm drinks. Teas like chai, ginger, and turmeric are wonderful to not only support the immune system and digestive health, they also have an anti-inflammatory affect on the entire body. I love making these into lattes with some non-dairy milk and collagen.
And speaking of warming spices, cook with more of them. Include spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger and cayenne into your meals. Squash with cinnamon, oatmeal with cardamom and fish with ginger are some of my favorite fall treats.
Take immune boosting supplements. Those such as vitamin D and zinc help to promote a robust and strong immune system. (do not do this without the consult of a health professional). Foods that are high in vitamin D include egg yolk, sockeye salmon and mushrooms. Foods rich in zinc include pumpkin seeds and oysters.
Eat more foods from the ground. Include more grounding foods like root vegetables, turkey, pumpkin, squash, apples, and ghee
Heat up your salads. Consider steaming or sautéing raw veggies to make a warm salad. This will also help improve and aid digestion.
Cozy up with some soup or a filling stew. Batch cook homemade broths to freeze for quick soups and stews.
Switch up your movement activity. Trying new workouts revs up your metabolism and encourages your body to tone faster.
Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. This is an always on rule, prioritize rising and waking at the same times each day. Also wear warming socks before going to sleep, as warmer feet encourage more REM sleep.
Protect your nasal passages. Use a saline nose spray 1-2x a day to keep the nasal passages lubricated and apply oil at the front of your nostrils to prevent the skin from cracking. Most sinus issues during the colder months, stem from dry nasal passages.