5 Tips To Stay Healthy This Fall

By Susan Abramson, MHS, HHC, RYT

Pathways To Lifelong Health

. http://ptlh.sallytraynham.com/connect/

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5 Tips To Stay Healthy This Fall

Fall has arrived in all of its glory, and the air has turned crisp and cool, beckoning us outdoors. The autumn bounty of apples and pears is still with us, as is an abundance of root vegetables, signaling that the cooling and detoxifying fruits and vegetables of the summer months have passed. As the seasons change, so do the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of our body, mind, and spirit. Here are five tips to help you stay healthy this fall

Healthy Eating

During this season, think about eating cooked foods as opposed to raw foods, enjoying warm soups and stews, cooked grains, such as quinoa and amaranth, pastas made from a wide range of vegetables and grains, cooked fruit, such as baked apples, pear and dates, and warming herbal teas, such as ginger tea, which helps keep the body hydrated.

Sweet foods, such as sweet potatoes, open up and nourish the tissues and calm and pacify the body. Sour foods, such as oranges, grapefruits and ginger, heat the body and stimulate digestion; and naturally salty foods, such as miso, or salting food with a good quality sea salt, heats up the body and acts as a carrier to bring minerals deep into the body's tissues.

Creating Healthy Routines

Routines are especially important to the body during this season. Work towards eating and sleeping at the same time every day. Meals are best taken between 7-9 am, noon-2 pm and between 6-7 pm. Our digestive fire is strongest at midday, so
eating a larger, heavier meal at that time facilitates greatest nutrient absorption.

Move Your Body

Enjoy the crisp fall air, taking long walks or hikes, hopping on a bike, going for a jog, playing golf or tennis, or throwing a lacrosse ball with your kids.

Fall Allergies

If you suffer from fall pollen allergies, reduce your exposure by avoiding the outdoors between five and 10 am when pollen dispersal is at its peak. After an outside activity, be sure to shower as soon as you can, and certainly before bed. Steam showers, use of a Neti pot, and small amounts of warm sesame oil in the nasal passages are often helpful in avoiding dry, irritated sinuses.

Relaxation

Before or after a warm shower, rub aromatic oils, such as sesame, almond, or coconut oil into your skin. Make an appointment with a massage therapist and enjoy the relaxation and immune boosting results. Plan time for rest and relaxation. As the metabolism slows, this is a good time to begin a meditation practice.