Guest Post with Sarah! -- Diet Tips & Tricks

Hey y'all!
I'm out and about today, probably moving in some fashion,
and have left my blog in some capable hands of the awesome ladies
who signed up to help a sista out.
So do enjoy your break from regularly scheduled programming!

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Tips and Tricks: Staying Healthy

Hey there people – my name is Sarah and I blog over at A Cat-Like Curiosity. I blog about all kinds of things really – DIY projects, Monday Mantras, Etsy Lustings and many many more things. Basically whatever pops into my head.

I am so pleased to be able to do a guest post here for  you guys!!

This post is part of my Tips and Tricks series on my blog. (You can read more posts in this series here.)

I don’t know about you, but I have throughout my life found myself to be extra susceptible to bugs, colds and flus. I often seem to end up in that frustrating situation where I am having to let people down at home and at work because of illness. I long to be one of those people who never gets ill, who has never taken a day off work in their lives. But alas, that just isn’t me.

However, I have never been the kind of person to just accept a situation or to let things get the better of me. No siree. So, over the years I have tried many things to make myself better – rigorous exercise, strict bedtimes, hand sanitisers, herbal teas, first defence cold sprays, limiting coffee. You name it, I’ve pretty much tried it. To no real avail.

This year though, after another start dogged by sickness bugs, headaches and flus I decided to try something a little different.

Here are my top tips from what I have discovered this year. I have been (hayfever not withstanding) free of bugs and flus now since March this year. These are the little things I have introduced in order to make that a reality for me.

·         Daily multivitamin tablets with iron (non-negotiable)

·         Including as many iron rich foods as possible – broccoli, red meat and curly kale are my favourites. (Quick extra tip – curly kale goes off very quickly right? Not if you put it in the freezer when you buy it fresh and then just take out a handful whenever you need it!)

·         Relax more. (For more tips on relaxation click here.) Redefine what you class as relaxation. I find blogging and anything to do with my Etsy store relaxing. Mainly because I see them as things I love to do – things I enjoy. In this way, I don’t feel overwhelmed by trying to fit everything in – I am actively looking forward to fitting it all in and itching to get started each day when I return from work.

·         Sleep when you need to sleep. Don’t force yourself off to bed at 9pm, all stressed that you haven’t fitted everything in. Sleep when you’re tired.

·         In the same vein – eat when you’re hungry. Now, I don’t necessarily mean you can eat whatever you want whenever you want – that might not work out so well for you, depending on what kind of foods you tend to crave. Eat three square meals a day whenever possible, and try to make them nutritious – plenty of veg, fruit and not so much fat. Your body needs a certain amount of food in order to stave off illness and keep going. Give it that much.

·         Drink more fluids. Mostly water if you can manage it. Sugar free cordial if not.

·         Do some exercise. Do the kind of exercise that suits you. I have been to both extremes in my life with exercise – I have completed P90X but then can quite easily (and relatively happily) go without exercising for weeks. I find that doing some exercise makes you feel happier and healthier and a lot more positive about things. But it’s important that this doesn’t become yet another stick with which to beat yourself. Be kind to your body. It needs to be exercised. It doesn’t deserve to be punished (unless you like that sort of thing!)

·         Keep things clean. I have gotten into the habit every Friday of bringing home my water bottle from school and my travel coffee mug and soaking both of them (and my regular coffee cup at home) in Milton sterilising fluid. It kills all the germs which may well be lurking and leaves them all sparkly clean. Also, when you empty the fluid out into the sink and leave it there a little it gives the sink an excellent clean too!!

·         Be kind to yourself. I have days when I want to do very much close to nothing (notice how I can’t even say “do nothing”?) If I am feeling exhausted and overwhelmed when I get home, I let myself have a little nap. If I am feeling super energetic, I will keep going and do the things that are burning in my heart to do. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body and what it needs, and try to do that thing. If you can’t at that moment (because of work, family, other commitments) promise to reward yourself with something nice later on. Then do that.

·         Get pretty. If all else fails and I am feeling a little bit run down, a nice manicure/pedicure will always see me right. I also find other tasks easier to achieve when I can see my prettily done nails glinting at me while I do them.

I hope you have enjoyed my tips and tricks – feel free to head over to my blog to find out more.  And a big thanks to The Little Homemade Housewife for letting me guest post here – I’ve really enjoyed it!!

Have a great day people!!