Around these parts it doesn’t snow much, like maybe once every 7 years, for a day or two. And when it does there isn’t much to play with, so mini snowmen it is!  It doesn’t have to be snowing though for you to catch a cold or the flu, so here are my best tips to keep you healthy all winter long!

Photo credit:  Ria Gardner

1. Keep your core warm. For me this means longer shirts that I can tuck in and a long jumper dress or cardigan that covers over my back. For Miss 2, I put her in the little onesie leotard things with a shirt and pants over the top and then a jacket so her back is always covered. I really notice that she gets sick more often when she is cold and exposed to the wind.
2. Apple Cider vinegar with the mother. I’ve started taking a tsp of this since I read about it and this week it really helped to knock an oncoming cold out cold. It also helps with digestion, and really helped stabilise my blood sugar when I had gestational diabetes.
3. Cutting up raw garlic and swallowing tablet sized pieces in a spoonful of yogurt. Stephen’s grandmother takes an actual garlic tablet every day during winter and says she doesn’t get sick once.
4. Olive leaf extract as a liquid formula will drastically help your sniffly nose and sore throat and the tablets are also very effective immunity boosters.
5. We drink Beyond Tangy Tangerine, a powdered supplement drink that contains all your vitamins, minerals, 115 fruit and veg, antioxidants and pre and probiotics. I also make it up for my toddler with juice regularly and this dramatically reduces her amount of sickness throughout the year.  Dr Joel Wallach, author of Dead Doctors Don’t Lie,  was the creator behind this supplement and if you love to hear about natural health, you need to hear his story. 
6. Take communion daily. Yes, I’m serious, the bread and grape juice are more than just something we should be sharing at church. The Bible says that the bread is symbolic of Jesus Body and for our healing. If you want to read more about this: A Good Girl Rediscovers Communion, is for you.
7. Frankincense oil is a great immunity booster, dilute a couple of drops of pure oil into a tablespoon of coconut oil and rub it on your feet. Not sure how to use essential oils or how they work? Healing Oils of the Bible is a Biblical look at how God designed them to be used and the origins of different oils.

P.S.  And one more, drink chai tea boiled from scratch. A knob of ginger, half a cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 3 cardamom pods and a tea bag of your choice with 2 cups of water.  (You could even add a vanilla bean, or splash of vanilla vodka.)  I just boil it till water darkens and then start drinking and adding more water. The tea gets weaker but the spices get stronger and are great for you. Chai tea is my go to when I need to sit and ponder world problems or overcome a cold!

What’s your favourite winter wellness tip?