Colds don’t have to be part of winter; here’s how you can have your healthiest winter yet!

Unless you live without human contact, you may well already be encountering people with man flu or a cold from “someone at work/my kids.”

Many of my personal trainer clients and Boot camp attendees used to find themselves suffering as soon as the kids went back to school, before they changed their lifestyles – it was almost a quarterly tradition! 

Getting sick doesn’t actually have to be part of winter. The winter survival tricks I’m about to share might mean you avoid it altogether, regardless of whom you come into contact with!

Southampton personal trainer Gen Preece Boot camp

I used to get multiple colds/chest infections, not just in the winter – sometimes in the spring and summer too! Looking back, an extremely poor diet was not the only reason – my immune system and lifestyle choices contributed massively too.

Think about how many people around you, that you can also prevent getting sick if you start practising a few easy tricks regularly that mean you avoid the dreaded lurgy.

I can confirm that since doing the following, I haven’t had a cold/flu virus in nearly four years. I intend to keep it that way and wish the very same for you! 

Stay Hydrated

This is often neglected in the winter. If your water consumption remains sound, you’re already helping your immune system flush out toxins. Remember, the body cannot perform what’s required of it when dehydrated. If chilled water is too cold, drink it at room temperature or replace teas/coffees with either warm lemon water or herbal teas.

Keep your feet warm

The meridian on the bottoms of our feet is linked directly to our kidneys, meaning (in the simplest terms) you increase your chances of getting a ‘chill’ if these get cold. So avoid walking around barefoot on cold floors (a great excuse to get a lovely cosy pair of slippers!)

You can even rub raw sesame oil vigorously onto the bottoms of your feet before getting in the shower, which heats them up as well as keeping them soft. I learned this from an Ayurvedic doctor a few years ago and it’s certainly served me very well. 

Leave your nose alone

The environment inside our noses is an ideal breeding ground for viruses, so whatever might be lurking on our fingertips can easily thrive here. So avoid nose-touching (unless it’s with a tissue) and I’ll make the assumption you’re already washing your hands regularly…

Immune-boosting tea

Steep an inch of chopped ginger in boiled water, squeeze in ½ a lemon, add as much cayenne pepper as you can handle. Drink as many cups as possible throughout the day to boost your immunity or flush out anything that’s threatening to take hold.

I drink this regularly throughout the winter months and my personal training clients have all reported a difference when they do too!

Take Echinacea

A traditional herbal cold/flu remedy that can make all the difference when taken regularly. Speak with your pharmacist for more info.

PT Gen’s Flu-fighter recipes

My most successful are the cauliflower soup, flu-fighter one pot wonder and my (now infamous!) cold remedy smoothie, all tried tested and loved by my personal trainer clients and Boot camp attendees.

So I hope you find them just as useful and wish you a very healthy winter! x

southampton personal trainer gen preece boot camp