Lovely people, it is cold. As I sit here and type in my Northeast Melbourne home, there is cold rain lashing against the windows, which sounds suspiciously like hail. Many of my friends are on holidays in warm places, posting on Instagram and Facebook pictures of their sunny adventures. About this time each year I always ask myself “why didn’t I organise some annual leave sooner?” However, I’m normally so wrapped up in my massage business and ticking off my to-do list, I often forget about holidays! A common trait amongst my fellow business owners, I would guess.
Everyone seems to be sick right now. A number of my massage clients have had to reschedule their appointments because they’re feeling crappy and bless them, don’t want to pass it on to me. Interestingly, you’ll only catch a bug if your immune system is low – no matter how many people cough all over you. It’s the dance between the bacteria or virus being strong, and the reduction in your ability to fight it off. The reason why I tell my lovely clients to stay in bed is because a massage will make THEM feel ten times worse, and has nothing to do with a snot-eversion on my part! Having a massage will speed up your circulation and spread toxins faster, particularly if it’s a deep tissue or remedial massage. Your body is already under attack from the nasties, so the combination of the two things results in you feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck. Yeah….so I don’t want that for you.
So throughout the long, dark cold winters, there are always a number of suggestions about how to stave off the dreaded cold and/or flu virus. Everyone has their magic go-to remedy, which has worked for them in the past. Some work better than others however, and if you’re like me, you’d prefer to keep the remedy as natural as possible. This list is not exhaustive by any means, and could easily be “100 ways to stay snot-free”. So here are five of my favourites.
Senega & Ammonia mix
My mum told me about this old remedy last winter, which was passed down by her mum. If you can imagine dinosaur poo mixed with rancid liquorice, you’re pretty close to a taste match. However, it’s ridiculously cheap, readily available at chemists and it actually works. You need to mix a tablespoon with hot water and something (ANYTHING) else like juice just to get it down. If you start taking this mix at the first signs of the snot-monster, every four hours, you can drastically reduce your sick leave time.
Turmeric
So hot right now. With its deliciously exotic colour and anti-inflammatory properties, I know many people who brew themselves a tea mix or even go the fancy-pants turmeric latte every day. You can also get it down in tablet form. There’s quite a bit of evidence now for this wonder spice fighting against many inflammatory conditions.
Echinacea, garlic, zinc and vitamin C
These ones have been around for a while, especially garlic as it helped to kill the vampires in olden times. Echinacea is another herb which acts as a preventative measure if you start taking it at the first signs of feeling crappy. I’m currently taking a fantastic product which is a zinc and vitamin C powder mix. It tastes like Orangina. Zinc is a great repairer, and vitamin C has been a very commonly used remedy for preventative and throughout the course of a cold or flu.
Rest and/or sleep
Well, durh Mya. I know this sounds stupidly obvious, but you’d be surprised how many of my massage clients don’t rest when their bodies say “can we please rest now?” These are the ones that fall asleep on my massage table, even during a rigorous sports massage because they’re so tired! I totally get it though; we’re all under a lot of stress and pressure to crank out the work, so sleep often isn’t our top priority. But the more room you make for watching the back of your eyelids, the more likely your body can recover from the day and help keep the bugs at bay. Hey that rhymes.
Regular massage
Well of course I would say this :) But seriously folks, committing to regular massages, even if it’s once every month or so, you’ll be looking after your body and it will reward you for it. Not only will you feel amazing, rejuvenated and healthier, but it will reduce the likelihood that you’ll run yourself in to the ground and have to be scraped off the carpet. Trust me, I’ve been there!
So what’s your best health tip for staying healthy during the winter months? I’d love to hear what you guys think. Feel free to contact me via Instagram or Facebook and I’ll post your amazing suggestions!
See you next month :)
Mya
