I haven't had a cold all winter – this is my easy 4-step health routine

Contents

My secrets to staying well 1. Gut health 2. Supplements 3. Food 4. Salts Love midlife? Join Second Act today!Member benefits

I’ve always been a believer in active self-care. I began taking ownership of my health in my twenties and embarked on an organic diet and healthy lifestyle.

People scoffed at me for eating organically at the time as they couldn’t see the point. Organic vegetables have the same nutritional content as non-organic, they would say. As it happens, that’s not quite true but that wasn’t the reason I was eating organically. It was more about what organic food doesn’t contain, namely pesticides.

The main reason for this change in lifestyle was that I hated being ill (as all of us do) but would often come down with nasty bouts of flu in my youth.

woman smiling for a selfie in a cream top — Glynis follows a tried and tested health routine

I wanted to improve my overall health and do everything I could to live a long and healthy life. The idea of the alternative was motivating for me. Now at this stage of my life, it’s even more important. I’m grateful to my younger self for making this dramatic change – and sticking with it.

“I’m grateful to my younger self for making this dramatic change – and sticking with it.”

After spending the last few decades doing plenty of exercise, eating organic nutritious foods, taking supplements and learning to meditate, I can see how much I’ve benefited from it.

So, it stands to reason that when it comes to getting ill, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I still hate being ill and am deeply resentful of any of my time being wasted by a boring old virus. From being laid up in bed with a fever, to shuffling around coughing and sneezing, I resent it all.

And now, besides the usual smorgasbord of viruses just waiting to pounce, we have the dreaded Covid. The Covid experience encouraged me to expand my research for ways to further protect myself and now I’m always at the ready. I’ve created a protocol and routine for myself and I’ve had great success with it.

This doesn’t mean I never get ill, there are times I will succumb, but it’s not often. I only occasionally get a virus and when I do, it tends to be mild and short-lived.

My secrets to staying well

Let me start by saying that the effectiveness of my protocol will depend on your general health levels and the state of your immune system. Whatever the case, it’s likely to help (if only to make it a little less severe and shorter in duration) but improving your gut health will stand you in very good stead as a starting point.

1. Gut health

Woman heart sign near stomach — Gut health is essential for longevity

Both your immune system and mental health rely on a healthy gut. Cutting out ultra-processed foods and taking a probiotic are key. Eating whole foods, getting enough sleep, and staying on top of stress with mindfulness and meditation are the things to focus on.

2. Supplements

There are three that I take all year long and consider to be the most important to have in my arsenal for general health. If you aren’t a supplement taker and are interested in starting, I think these are the best ones to start with.

A Group of Multi Colored Medical Pills Organized in a Row Directly Above View on Beige Background. — Supplements help Glynis stay well

However, always check with your doctor first to make sure there aren’t any contraindications with any medications you’re on. My selection is good for bones, boosting the immune system and magnesium will help you to relax and sleep well if taken in the evening.

To fend off a virus add:

Quercetin – this is a powerful antioxidant that I discovered during Covid. I take one per day for the whole of winter or when there are viruses going around. At the first sign of illness, I up my dose to two per day. Continue until you feel completely better.

Vitamin C – also good to take for the whole winter. I take up 1,000 mg a day and at the first sign of illness, I’ll double it. You can take up 3,000 mg a day safely. Try and get a time-released version or if not take one tablet three times a day. Your body will pee out anything it can’t use which is why a time-released version will stop it being wasted.

Zinc – I take this for the whole winter.

Oregano oil – This one is absolutely key. It’s a powerful anti-viral and you only use it when you think you might be coming down with something. At the very first sign of a sniffle or sore throat, take one twice a day. If you start succumbing to a virus, up it to three times per day. It comes in capsule form.

This combination of supplements is powerful and I have warded off many a virus with it. It’s important to get started with them as soon as possible and to have a supply of oregano oil capsules in your cupboard, ready to be used when you need them.

ADVICE: How many supplements are too many? A nutritionist explains

3. Food

Ginger is a great help when it comes to viruses. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and makes a lovely hot drink.

a cup of lemon ginger tea with honey — Glynis relies on ginger

Slice some fresh ginger into a mug of boiling water. Add a teaspoon of Manuka honey (the higher the MGO the higher the potency). Manuka honey also has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.

This soothing drink packs a powerful punch. I skip tea and coffee when I’m coming down with something and switch to this.

Close up of wooden honey spoon over honeycomb concept. — Manuka honey can help support good health

Manuka honey can also be used on its own to soothe a sore throat or a cough. Let a teaspoon of honey dissolve in your mouth.

4. Salts

Gargling a teaspoon of salt in warm water is a good way to help cure a sore throat. I do it first thing in the morning and last thing at night at the first sign of a sore throat.

Sterimar nasal spray is brilliant. I first discovered it when my son had Covid and a nasty cough that he couldn’t get rid of. The pharmacist recommended this and within 24 hours the cough began to ease and was gone completely within a week.

It’s a fine mist that you squirt up each nostril and is great for cleaning the nasal passages. Salt is healing, so I now take this for any cold or virus for the duration. It’s very gentle and can even be used as part of a daily routine throughout the year. I always take it when I travel and use it on planes, which are fertile ground for viruses.

This combination of supplements, food and salt makes a supremely effective defence against viruses in my personal experience. On the odd occasion that I do succumb, the virus is mild and doesn’t last long.

“On the odd occasion that I do succumb, the virus is mild and doesn’t last long”

As I write this, I haven’t had a single virus this winter so far (I’m really tempting fate here, aren’t I?) and last winter I fended off two viruses that never managed to take hold.

I swear by this protocol as I’ve seen it in action, and my family follow it too. The whole family now uses Sterimar, we have a constant supply of quercetin and oregano oil in the cupboard, and you’ll always find fresh ginger in our fridge. We’re ready for action whenever those little blighters come knocking.

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