Kill A Cold

I just got back from a 12 day BeachBody mega-trip. A few days in Anaheim California at the big money give-away, then off to Maui at the first ever coaches event and finishing up in Philadelphia at QVC. Planes, trains, automobiles 

and plenty of contact with people, places and things during and between events. The miricle is that I arrived back home in LA, sleep deprived across 6 times zones without a cold or flu. Did I get lucky, or was it something I did, or better yet, didn't do? Back in the day, I'd walk to my mailbox and catch a cold. For a fit guy my immune system was weak as a kitten. I think the reason was was STRESS! Turns out fretting makes you sick even if you're eating well and exercising. At the ripe age of 49+ I'm finally learning to let go of the "catastrophizing." East coast Italian people like to worry. Ask my man Nick. I'm not Gandhi yet but I'm a hell of a lot better than I used to be. Travel always made me nervous, so constipation and a head cold were commonplace whenever I left my zip code for more than 24 hours. I honestly believe that I've survived this cold season (so far) because I'm rolling with the bunches more and letting go of the outcome on things.    

This doesn't mean I'll never get a cold again, so I'm prepared to nip the next one in the bud. You know how it happens. All of a sudden you feel that scratch in your throat and your energy starts to go south. It's coming!  You're in the early stages of a damn cold. Here's the crazy thing... catching a cold or flu once in a while can actually help you stay healthy over the long run, by ridding your body of its weakest cells. But maybe you’ve got other plans for the next few days.  If you catch it in the beginning, here is how you can beat that cold before it wreaks havoc on your body, your mood, and your productivity:

 

As soon as you notice that sore, tickly feeling in your throat, break out the warm salt water and gargle deep.  REALLY, just like mom said.  Tilt your head back and gargle aggressively. You may even want to tap your throat with your fingers (in the “Adams apple” region) to encourage the warm salt water to trickle deeply into your throat.  Do this several times in one sitting and repeat it as often as you can throughout the day. Yep.  That’s all you have to do – if you catch it early enough, this simple technique can kill that cold. Viruses that cause colds and flus typically get caught in your tonsils and adenoids before they spread through the body.  Warm salt water can actually remove viruses from the tonsils and adenoids that line the back of your throat.  If you can knock them out before they get past your body’s first line of defense, the cold doesn’t get a chance to develop.

 

If you gargle your brains out and still end up developing a full-blown cold, take comfort in knowing that the virus and immune system are fast at work destroying your weakest cells.  Rest, drink plenty of fluids, and blow your nose as often as it runs to help your body purge what it’s trying to get rid of. Take good care of your health and immune system by consistently making healthy diet and lifestyle choices, getting plenty of rest and dealing with stress. If you do, you can keep your cells strong enough to avoid getting infected by viruses in the first place.