It’s time for autumn again, bringing plenty of awesome things. This is the time of the year when it gets less unbearably hot (depending on where you live), leaves start changing, and something feels different during daylight hours. We look forward to great holidays like Halloween (it’s okay to gorge yourself on candy once a year) and Thanksgiving (same with turkey and gravy). But one thing about the autumn months is a little less awesome. We’re talking, of course, about the rise of cold and flu season. But you don’t have to let seasonal sickness keep you from experiencing one of the year’s best seasons! This post will look at some natural remedies for the common cold and flu solutions.

Fighting the Flu: Boosting Your Immune System to Fight Against Cold and Flu Symptoms

Our immune systems are already pretty powerful by themselves. But when they’re assailed with the abundance of germs that comes with cold and flu season,

Wash Your Hands, Ya Filthy Animal

If there’s one takeaway you should have from the Coronavirus Pandemic, it’s not the masks or the lockdowns. It’s washing your hands! Truth be told, many of us were probably walking around with filthy, disgusting hands during most of our lives before COVID made us abundantly aware of our hygiene. According to the CDC, you should be washing your hands when you:

Make or eat food (before and after)
Treating a cut or wound (before and after)
Use the bathroom
Handle pet food or treats
Touch or feed an animal, or pick up their waste
Take out the trash
Blow your nose, sneeze or cough
Change a diaper or clean up after a child who has used the toilet
Clean up after someone who’s sick with diarrhea or vomiting

There’s a “right way” to wash your hands, too! First, you need to use soap and water. Then, remember to scrub for a solid 20 seconds. Sing Happy Birthday in your head if you need help keeping time.

One last thing that the CDC mentioned. While hand sanitizer is super helpful and can replace hand washing in a pinch, it’s important to note that “hand sanny” is generally not as powerful as soap and water. For one, it won’t get rid of chemicals (if you work with pesticides for your job, for example). Hand sanitizer may also be less effective if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

Drink Lots of Fluids

We need to drink lots of water in the summer months because it’s hot out. That means we sweat a lot and need to replace the water we’ve lost. In the fall, though, things are a little bit different. We still need to drink water, but not for the same reasons. Instead, you want to keep your water intake high because it supports a healthy immune system.

In terms of volume, try drinking at least half your body weight in ounces daily. Drinking lots of water is essential; even if you’re not as physically active during the fall, you can still get dehydrated from sleeping. You can replace water with some other fluids, like caffeine-free tea. But anything with caffeine actually counts against your water intake!

Exercise Regularly

We’ve discussed how exercise can help solve many issues related to your body and mind. As a result, it should come as no surprise to anyone that exercise can help keep you healthy during cold and flu season. For one, exercise improves your heart health and blood pressure, which contributes to good circulation. This allows your immune system to do its job more efficiently. It’s your body’s version of the age-old adage: “work smarter, not harder!”

Eat Immune-Boosting Foods

Here’s another adage that’s as timeless as it is accurate: “you are what you eat.” That’s particularly true regarding foods that can boost your immune system. Generally, you want to focus on eating foods with plenty of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. These are all components of foods that will keep you feeling good and healthy. Moreover, protein is directly linked to boosting your healing factor (like Wolverine from the X-Men).

In addition to foods rich in these nutrients, consider eating more dishes with probiotics. This catch-all term refers to anything with live bacteria and yeast colonies that can work towards improving your overall gut health. Kombucha is one of the most well-known probiotics these days. But there are a ton of other foods and drinks that contain live cultures, including:

Yogurt (the original probiotic food) and some other dairy-based dishes like kefir, leban, and lassi (essentially yogurt in different forms)
Kimchi
Tofu, tempeh, and natto (fermented soybean dishes)
Miso
Shoyu or tamari

Some of these foods can taste a little funky. But even if you’re not onto that, you can still get your daily fix of probiotics! Talk to your doctor about adding a probiotic supplement to your diet. You can usually find them at your local grocery store.

Say Sayonara to Sickness This Cold and Flu Season with Plant Extracts

There’s one last trick you’ll need to use if you want to stay healthy during this year’s cold and flu season. Sleep is another important factor to maintaining your immune system. What’s more, it’s even more important if you do actually fall ill. And if you’re having trouble maintaining a proper sleep schedule, plant extracts may be able to help.

According to some research, plant extracts may be able to help those suffering from sleep problems fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. If that sounds like you, you’re in luck. At Relive Everyday, we’ve stocked up on some helpful products extracted from American-grown

plants. To learn more about our full inventory, check out our online store!