Our expert in-house nutritionist Jenny Logan on how to sail through the transition from summer to autumn.
September - the month of sniffles, stress and that ‘back to school’ feeling. In many ways it can be easier to manage than the summer holidays when we may be juggling childcare, holidays and in the UK - how to entertain children when it rains. However, the return to ‘normality’ that the back to routine season brings, does bring with it a set of challenges.
The Dreaded ‘September Sniffles’
September always heralds the start of the cold and flu season. This is because the combination of warm classrooms and young children provide the BEST breeding ground for all viruses and bacteria - which they can then bring home and share with family!
Even if you’re not battling the classroom viruses, the environmental changes that occur as we slip from the summer and into autumn will provide challenges for our immune systems. With the combination of dropping temperatures, increased rain and humidity, all combined with a lack of Vitamin D, our body is balancing a lot. So, let’s make sure we’re helping it where we can.
Supporting Your Immune System
You cannot prevent all colds and flu - and to be honest, it would not be healthy if you could or did. Fighting off an infection is like going to the gym for your immune system - it helps to train it and make it stronger and more effective. What we do want however, is a strong and healthy immune system that can fight off all invaders quickly and efficiently, so we are not left with lingering colds, coughs and sinus infections.
Support Through Your Diet:
Make sure you are eating regularly - your body needs food to provide the nutrients your immune system relies on.
Where possible eat freshly-prepared foods, to optimize nutrient intake, and try to include oily fish, nuts seeds, to help provide the essential omega fatty acids your body need, plus beans and pulses, which provide all important fibre, to support your gut health, as well as being a healthy source of protein.
Try to include plenty of fresh and colourful fruits and vegetables. These are rich in nutrients and natural immune supporters.
To help top up even further you could also add in a greens superfood powder like our Green Me Up. It’s a blend of 33 superfoods, including spirulina, kale and broccoli, acai, goji, raspberry and strawberry. Add it to a smoothie to really pack a powerful nutritional punch. A great recipe for this time of year would include 1 scoop green me up, 200ml fresh orange juice, a small handful of frozen blueberries, some frozen (or fresh) raspberries and a spoonful of greek yogurt.
September Stress
Getting back into the swing of school runs, work schedules and balancing the demands of home and work can feel stressful, and cause its fair share of sleepless nights. Getting this under control is important for our immune health as well as our general wellbeing. As far as sleep is concerned, a good night's sleep depends on your whole day. If you have spent all day stressed out, hyped up on caffeine, and not eating properly, then no matter what you do or take at night, you are unlikely to get a restful and restorative sleep.
Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Stress:
TAKE TIME OUT: Time out is not just for tantruming toddlers. If you find yourself feeling stressed out or angry, give yourself a time out too! This will actually help make you more productive, because, when we are in the stressed out/angry part of our brain, we are emotional and will struggle to find solutions. If we take a little time to calm down we will move into the more logical part of our brain, and be able to see better how to resolve issues.
BREATHE DEEPLY: Taking slow controlled deep breathes will also help to calm and centre you, and move you to the logical part of your brain. When we are stressed, we tend to breathe more shallowly, which in turn makes stress worse! Try breathing in for a count of 4 and breathing out for a count of 8-12 a few times.
BE MORE ZEN: Extra support during time our or deep breathing could come from Zen O’Clock Calming Gummies. A delicious treat, which also contains Chamomile, Lemon Balm, Theanine and Vitamin B6 to soothe and relax your nervous system.
Extra Support For ‘Juggling’ Life:
Stressed as a result of juggling so many different aspects of your life? Struggling to find the mental capacity and energy to get through your to-do list? For Jugglers was designed to give you the extra support you need! Formulated with KSM-66 Ashwagandha extract, the most researched form of this amazing adaptogenic herb, alongside Siberian Ginseng, a great tonic, plus Vitamin C to help reduce tiredness and fatigue (and support your immune system) and Vitamin B5 to help support mental performance and support healthy energy production.
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