I’ve gotten some great advice recently about how to stay healthy, and I wanted to pass it along!   Check out my friend Christi’s newsletter about avoiding getting sick this winter.   Christi is an awesome holistic health counselor and I especially like her advice to: not eat sugar, sleep a lot and bulk up on Vitamin D and C!   She has a lot more tips in her newsletter.   

My friend Shea also recently wrote an article for Mindful Mama.  She writes about similar ways to stay healthy and calls them the 3  S’s: enough sleep, lower stress, and less sugar.   Both of these articles raise the important point of not listening to all the fear out there this winter, especially if you’re a parent. 

Of course, I am always a fan of encouraging yoga!  If you *are* stressed about this winter season, practice some deep, slow breathing and hold some of your favorite stretches for a while.   10 minutes of yogic stretching a day can make a world of difference, and probably will help you implement the above advice.  Try these 4 restorative postures from the CorePowerYoga blog.

Finally, the Marino Center sent me a great chart that highlights the difference between cold and flu symptoms. 

FEVER –   Cold: Uncommon   Flu: Common (100 degrees or higher) in 80% of flu cases

COUGH – Cold: Hacking (with mucous) is common    Flu: Dry cough is common

ACHES – Cold: Mildly aches are common   Flu: Severe aches and pains are common

STUFFY NOSE – Cold: Common and resolves within a week  Flu: Uncommon

CHILLS – Cold: Uncommon   Flu: 60% of people with flu experience chills

TIREDNESS – Cold: Mild tiredness  Flu: Moderate to severe fatigue

SNEEZING – Cold: Common  Flu: Uncommon

HEADACHE – Cold: Uncommon Flu: Common

SORE THROAT – Cold: Common   Flu: Common

CHEST DISCOMFORT – Cold: Mild to moderate   Flu: Often severe

ONSET OF SYMPTOMS – Cold: Symptoms occur a few days after exposure    Flu: Rapid onset within 3-6 hours