7 Ways to Feel Better (Than Ever!)

Well, your favorite blogger is posting today with that dreaded winter malady: the common cold.  Maybe it was the frenziness that accompanied the New Year, or too many sleep cycles interrupted by my screeching alarm clock, or perhaps that recent night out with the Man-Friend and a bottle of prosecco.  Regardless, this gal’s feeling the pain.  What to do?  Here’s my Top 7 Ways to Feel Better!  (And coming out feeling even more fantastic than ever before…)

1.  SLEEP! Yes, you.  Go to sleep!  Too often, we run down our immune systems because of a lack of downtime.  If it comes to it, schedule sleep into your planner.  Take off your socks 1 hour before bed (the pros say this helps relax your body), turn off the tv (it keeps you awake!) and switch on one of six lulling sounds on the SoundSpa Sound Machine from Homemedics (on www.westsidewholesale.com for $18.99).  I have this one, and, let me tell you, there is nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of a rainstorm (without the stress of having to worry about stepping through puddles the next morning).

2.  DON’T GO TO WORK, GO TO THE DOCTOR. This is a tricky one, as our healthcare system becomes increasingly complicated (and expensive); however, if you try to work through the pain, you’ll often only prolong the sickness.  Blah!  My sister, the Original Workaholic, promised herself two years ago she would cancel everything for a day if she felt sick, and she’s cut down the length and occurrences of sickness exponentially.  (If she can do it, you can too.  Trust me.)  If your employer doesn’t provide care for you, or if you can’t afford it on your own, healthcare can become downright optional.  Don’t mistreat yourself!  Checking out an illness is an important way to spend your money, because, after all, what is money for but to spend it?  So use it to take care of yourself, before your cold becomes an infection.  HEALTH TIP:  Check out the calendar!  For more serious health concerns, big foundations like the American Breast Cancer Society, will often offer FREE screenings on certain related holidays.  Also, The American Cancer Society and the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program offer FREE MAMMOGRAMS.  Don’t let money stop you from being healthy…

3.  CUT OUT THE SWEETS! Sugar is an addictive substance, and the over-consumption of sugar, sugar substitutes (like Splenda) and sweeteners (read the labels for high fructose corn syrup!) can lead to a gross cycle similar to that of a drug addict.  The really nasty part?  The sugar rollercoaster makes you more irritable, paves the way for lethargy, fatigue and low energy,  turns you into a stress-case, and lowers your immune system.  Sounds crappy, right?  Well while you’re busy feeding your addiction with sodas and cookies, you probably are cultivating sugar rushes at innopportune moments (like right before bed.  See #1!), probably not drinking enough water (see #5!) aaaand most certainly breeding anxiety over your finances.  Yeesh, put down that brownie, and pick up some hot green tea, please.  (Or, Echinacea, OR ginger tea, for that matter, if you have a stomachache.  Natural, effective, and cheap: get your free samples of Yogi Tea HERE: www.yogitea.com)  Check out more sugar tips at my favorite sugar-free website:  www.sugarshock.com.

4.  WASH UP. To prevent anyone else from sharing your pain, the CDC promotes regular and thorough hand-washing.  (Wash for 15-20 seconds, or just about long enough to sing “Happy Birthday” to yourself.  You might want to sing quietly, you don’t want to accrue the reputation of being a weirdo sicky who’s possibly hallucinating as you sing birthday songs to yourself.)

5.  DRINK WATER, FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE! Liquids, liquids, liquids.  Flush those nasty germs out with some good ol’ fashioned H2O.  Or, oh my goodness!  With aforementioned green/echinacea/ginger tea from #3!  Look at us, multitasking…

6.  BLOW. Don’t get freaked out.  I’m going to tell you to take this pot, fill it with some warm water and salt, and stick it up your nose.  Don’t argue.  Just do it!  My artsy friends swear by it, and my Man-Friend promises it scares away all kinds of colds and infections.  Peer pressure, people, stick your new friend Neti up there.  You can check out a hilarious article by Jessica Ashley about her “nose bidet” obsession, which has cleared up all her allergies AND her chronic migraines.  Wow!

7.  FEED YOURSELF SOME GOODIES. So if you’re not ingesting the right vitamins and nutrients when you’re running around feeling healthy, please please do so when you’re sick!  Vitamin C is a must, but don’t just stick with Airborne or Emergen-C and hope everything is fixed: eat some oranges and stick lemons in your water!  (Eh?  Back to #5!)  Donna Sonkin, the nutritionist and sugar-free health advisor, advocates eating lots of whole foods: oats, walnuts, blueberries, tomatoes, whole grains.  My friend Shawna loves Oscillococcinum because it’s homeopathic, and others suggest probiotics as the way to settle down your stomach. When I’m sick, for some reason, the only thing that makes me feel better is ginger ale.  My mother would give it to us when were sick as kids, and since I can’t call her up to fly across the country every time I get a cold, I can get some Schweppes.  My good friend Nina only wants to eat okayu, a traditional Japanese rice porridge.  Whatever floats your boat!  Remember, you only get the one body, so treat it right.

I feel better already.  I’m kicking cold season in the butt!  Now, where’s that sound machine…

View Teresa's Profile      Subscribe via RSS