How to Avoid Colds and Illnesses So You Can Stay On Top of Your Writing Game
Being sick is tough on our writing goals. We just don't feel motivated to focus on writing, and when we're cold, we'd rather curl up in a chair with a blanket and a book. That means our writing goals go to the wayside.
We can't have that.
The best way to make sure we can work toward our goals is to prevent colds and other illnesses. We can limit our chances of catching a cold by drinking plenty of healthy liquids, eating the right foods, and limiting our sugar intake.
It's easy to take our health for granted. We don't realize how important doing healthy things is until we're in the throes of a cold. We get lazy. Too lazy to get up and get a drink of water when we're thirsty. Then we go to bed and wake up with a sore throat. That happened to me last week.
Staying healthy is really a lifestyle change and it takes some effort, but by staying healthy, we increase our opportunity to accomplish our writing goals. Colds set us back on our goals. And before we know it, we're so far behind that it seems impossible to ever catch up.
To help prevent catching a cold, we must take special care to keep our immune systems up while we're still healthy.
Nutritionists recommend adopting a diet that contains whole grains, fruits, and vegetables to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin C, and to keep your body producing infection-fighting antibodies.
Think you can just take a supplement? Research has yet to prove that taking extra vitamins and supplements actually lowers the risk of a cold.
So, your best bet for preventing colds is to obtain your vitamins and minerals through healthy food consumption. That means limiting your fast food and sugar intake. Sugar breaks down your immune system, making it difficult for your body to fight infections.
Drinking plenty of water will also keep you hydrated. Dehydration deprives your body of water and prevents your body from flushing out bacteria. Take, for instance, dry skin. If your hands are dry and you don't remedy the situation by drinking more water or applying skin lotion, your hands, especially your knuckles, will get so dry that they start to crack and bleed. So, if you deprive your internal organs of water, they won't be able to function as well as they should.
To help eliminate a sore throat once you have it, eat healthy foods packed with vitamins and minerals and drink plenty of fluids like water or green tea.
When I had my mild sore throat, I ate four of our farm eggs over-easy and two slices of whole grain toast for three nights in a row, drank a cup of green tea every night before bed, and I also took some Ibuprofen as well (please see disclaimer below). By the third day, my mild sore throat was gone. Had I done nothing other than my normal routine, chances are good that my sore throat would have worsened and developed into a full-fledged cold.
Take good care of yourself even when you're not sick so you can stay on top of your game and meet your writing goals head-on.
To Your Health & Writing Happiness!
DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before taking any medications or changing your diet.
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