‘Tis the Season for our enemy…the common cold

As we all know much too well, Christmas season is upon us! The weather cools down, the food becomes much more ‘pumpkin-centered’ and our enemy the cold comes army strong until it tears down our fortress we have built so strong.

I once believed that I could defeat this terrible monster, thinking as long as I eat clean, sweat it out at the gym and wash my hands regularly I would be immune to getting it.  WRONG.  Here I am, Sunday night and dealing with my third day of this beast.

I’m already flustered due to the fact that it’s finals week here at CSULB and so my last week has not been filled with hardcore gym sessions and kale for breakfast, lunch and dinner and now I’ve got the sickness to add to it! And lemme tell ya, it’s exhausting.  I can’t go five minutes without sneezing and you know I have my alarm set for every four hours to remind me to take that DayQuil to fast-track this sucker out of me!

When I was first getting into my consistent workout regimen I was a freak of research and the second I felt a cold coming on I looked up the best way to stay in shape when you’re sick. And to my dismay….rest.  Rest and trying your best to eat clean are the ways you can stay healthy during this sickly season.

Now, of course there are ways to help your body heal faster and feel better, and that’s what I am here to share with you today!

I am a large fan of pressed juices and here in Long Beach we have this place called ‘Salud.’ (If you’re local to LB and haven’t been yet, hop in your car and go right now…it’s a dream). I stopped by today, said “hey, I’m sick and don’t have the time for it, tell me what you got,” and they provided me with endless samples of juices, tonics and shots to cure my aching body.

I ended up settling with “The Grunge” which was recommended to me by my roommate and I am now obsessed.

It’s an exotic combination of kale, spinach, romaine, celery, cucumber, orange and lemon and it rocked my world.

I know for some people the second they see a green drink they run for the hills, but juicer’s have every flavor under the sun and it’s a guarantee you’ll find one that suits your tastebuds.

Next, what I can recommend is what experts call the “Above the Neck” rule.  This means that if you’re just suffering from a sore throat, sniffles or a headache, a little physical exercise can do you some good.  But if it’s below the neck: body aches, fever, stomach pains, etc, you should probably sit the next sweat session out, just for safe measure.

Happy Holidays and Stay Healthy!