“Why We Get Sick In The Winter…& a recipe for ‘Cucumber Cooler Smoothie’.”

♥Hi Friends!

How we feelin’ everybody!?!  Anyone out there dealing with the winter sickies/blues?  Ever wonder why we get sick this time of year?  And not just PHYSICALLY but EMOTIONALLY (which affects us SPIRITUALLY.)  Through my learning I’ve come to the conclusion that among several, there are 3 big reasons why (choices we make) which if addressed will help us HEAL and enjoy our Winters and holidays a little better.  Actually, a lot better!

And here they are!!!

  1. We move less.here
  2. We get less sun exposure.
  3. We make UNHEALTHY food choices.

So…let’s talk about it.

1. WE MOVE LESS: With cooler weather and the end of our fun Summer activities comes less time outdoors.  Our activity levels slow down and therefore our lymphatic systems (click here and here for a couple of good posts on this) slow down and sometimes pretty much stop altogether.  And that means our bodies are not eliminating the toxins we collect 24/7 by virtue of being in this prepatory and Earthly state.   And I believe our lymphatic systems get rid of not only PHYSICAL toxins but also SPIRITUAL and EMOTIONAL toxins because again, each affects the other.  And as hard as it is to get up and exercise sometimes, we all know how much better we feel MENTALLY after a good work out!

2. WE GET LESS SUN EXPOSURE:  Ahhhhhhhhhh!  No Bueno!  Less sun, less HEALING energy, less Vitamin D, which in turn lowers our immune systems, making us sick SPIRITUALLY, PHYSICALLY and EMOTIONALLY!

3. WE MAKE UNHEALTHY FOOD CHOICES:  I know how hard it can be to say no to those delicious spice cookies with cream cheese pumpkin dip (a favorite in our home), Halloween candy, Thanksgiving pies, all manor of Christmas candy and others”crap”!  (Yes that’s right crap.  Albeit delicious, I’m calling it what it is!)

So here’s a few things we do to help out in these three areas.

1♥DRY BRUSHING:  Keep your lymphatic system going!  It is the only system in the body that must be manually stimulated to function.  If you aren’t exercising like you should (where your lymphs move toxins out through sweating) then there are many things you can do (regular massage, acupuncture, vibration machines that look like a piece of home exercise equipment, just to name a few) with the easiest and cheapest being dry brushing.  Ever wonder why a cold or illness seems to hang on forever?  Why you can’t seem to lick it?  There’s  a good chance your lymphatic system is not working very well and so all those toxins are just circulating through your body making you feel sluggish and miserable.  My visual?  A crockpot where everything is ruminating together, slowly simmering and mixing, with absolutely no where to go.  But unless you’re soup, that’s a recipe for feeling miserable if I’ve ever heard one!

Anyway, back to dry brushing.  Here’s a pic of the one I bought off of Amazon.  It has stiffer, natural bristles, blah, blah, blah.  Click here to order it.

Dry Brush2

 Here’s a pic of the one I found for my Honey and parents for around 5 or 6 bucks at ‘Target’ that look very similar but has synthetic bristles.  

Dry Brush

Click here to learn how to use one.  It’s easy and there are some wonderful benefits besides staying free from or reducing symptoms and down time during illness.  (Click here to read about them of you haven’t already!)  And how often should you dry brush?  Well if you are sick, every day until you start feeling better and then 2-3 times a week for maintenance.  Good stuff!

2♥COLD WEATHER SUPPLEMENTS:  Starting in October until May or so, there are 3 supplements we take every morning.  We have found them dropper form and everyone takes 3 drops of each before going to work or school.  All of these help boost your immune system and give you lots of good HEALING stuff!

♥Vitamin D-I found the Good ‘n Natural at ‘Bountiful Nutrition’ or you can buy it online also.  The Drop of Sunshine I found at ‘Natural Grocers’  or you can purchase them here at ‘Vitacost’.

♥Elderberry Syrup-I wanted to make my own, it sounded so self-sufficient of me, but not gonna happen right now.  So I found these drops here on ‘Vitacost’ and I’m sure is available at most health food stores.

♥Echinacea/Goldenseal-The Wild Harvest brand tastes better than the Now brand.  But the Now brand has an added kick to it with herbs.  I wouldn’t give either of these to children under 8.

Winter Supplements

3♥MAKE BETTER FOOD CHOICES!!!!!!:  Again, make green smoothies a daily habit!  (Click here and here to understand why.)  Cut down on and get rid of processed sugars and dairy (except for small doses of raw cheeses and milks) which cause inflammation and all sorts of problems.   And feeds sickness and disease!!!   Give your body the fuel it needs and Heavenly Father has made them to withstand most illness and disease, and the ability to HEAL themselves in the most remarkable ways.  (Click here for my post on how to transition in to HEALTHY eating habits if haven’t already.)

On the mornings you have a hard time getting your greens in, I recommend taking 6 of these green capsules every day. 

They are a raw green powder in capsule form and I have found that ‘Vitacost’ is the most cost efficient place to get them.  My son that is serving a mission for our church in the St. Louis, MO area, takes these daily to help him stay HEALTHY while eating all the good Midwestern, but mostly ‘not-so-HEALTHY’ foods that the wonderful church members out there feed the missionaries!

Hopefully this information can help you and your family.  Remember that there are many reasons (SPIRITUAL, PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL) that we get sick, but these few changes we have made have helped us feel and stay better during these Winter months.

♥Love you!

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Heres a recipe for a smoothie I came up with for our women’s church group.  It’s quite refreshing and delicious!

CUCUMBER COOLER SMOOTHIE

  • 4 medium packed cups spinach
  • 1 medium cucumber, sliced
  • 1 apple, chopped (All of it!)
  • nub of ginger
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 large banana, frozen and then broken in to chunks
  • 2 cups frozen pinapple

In order listed place ingredients in 8 cups capacity high power blender (Vitamix or Blentec.)  If using other blenders, core apple and adjust amounts.  Pour in water where pineapple starts.  Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds.  Serve immediately.

Cucumber Cooler Smoothie

This batch turned out a little frothy, because my banana wasn’t frozen, but it’s a beautiful green color and boy is it delish!

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