For those of you who follow my facebook statuses, you probably saw that yours truly was struck down with a nasty little bug that was floating around Pittsburgh this week. Now, I am not the one that likes to admit that I was feeling particularly run down, but after the holidays and my crazy work schedule, I had a bout with a not so fun cold. Yep, even the strong me falls prey to the ailments of illness at this time of year, but I think most if this had to do with working too hard too fast on too many projects at once. I have a full plate here, and with the drastic weather changes and extreme demands of work, my body just went kaput!
During my day of rest int he apartment, I decided to take a look at some paleo remedies for the cold. Come to find, I had everything I needed to kick this cold out of my system in 24 hours! Don’t believe me? Well sit tight! You are about to learn how to kick this Burgh Bug in the butt! And that’s real talk, ya heard?
So…without further adieu, here’s my list for beating the clammy cold crap that tends to strike with a vengeance up here in the North East!
Step 1. Rest. I shook off my flu like symptoms Sunday morning thinking it was no big deal. I was supposed to go to work and did manage a few hours in but come Monday, BOOM! Congestion and general feelings of “MEH!” I ended up taking a half day of work to sleep and my God, I slept for 5 hours as a nap and then 10 hours that night. Woke up feeling 100% amazing from that alone. Don’t negate your sleep kids! Sleep is necessary for your immune system. Don’t believe me? read this!
Step 2. Consider a partial fast. Ok, I know that there has been a lot of hype lately in the fitness community over intermittent fasting. Let me first address this issue by saying that intermittent fasting can be used as a therapeutic tool to boost your immune system during times you fall prey to illness. In my own personal experience (and I am ONLY SPEAKING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE) I have found that a partial fast during a time when I have the colds gives my body the time to repair and fight the infection off quicker. In case you are looking for some information regarding that, take a look at this article. Please note how I said “partial fast”, meaning that I DID eat certain foods but limited my intake. I don’t generally partake in intermittent fasting because my activity level is just too high anymore to keep away from food. And if you would like my opinion on repeated intermittent fasting, well, go ahead and read this article as well.
Step Three. Kicked Up Chicken Soup! Given the fact that i had to stay in and keep myself away from the general public, I decided to keep my eating light (see step 2) and created my own version of chicken noodle soup (minus the noodles though 😉 ) Interestingly enough, I found some interesting bits of information that state the use of capsaicin being incredibly helpful for fighting off colds and infections. Since I decided to go light with my eating as well, I made my “kicked up chicken soup” to be a 1-2 nutritional punch for my illness. Here’s the recipe! And let me just say that this spicy mix will fix your cold. I promise!
Kicked Up Chicken Soup
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
-
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
-
6 cups of chicken stock or my personal favorite, bone broth
-
1 lb chicken breast tenders, diced (the average weight of 1 package)
- salt, pepper.
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/4 cup dill
- 1-3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (I go on the spicier side, but that’s me ;)Honestly, I may have used a full tablespoon in my own recipe. If you can’t handle the heat, cut it back! )
Directions: Place a large pot over the stove and add olive oil. Chop up vegetables and add to the pot. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste. Add the stock or bone broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken to the pot and bring back to a boil, then reduce to a moderate heat. Cook the chicken for four to six minutes and then add the cayenne pepper, dill and parsley. When you’re done, EAT UP! 🙂
With these three simple steps to fighting off the winter sickness you’ll be back at your functional fitness routine in no time. Take my word for it. After just a mere 24 hours of this nutritional assault on my cold, I was back doing my RKC prep workouts and feeling like a million bucks! In fact, I feel so good I’m off to visit another trainer friend of mine this weekend to kick off more epic blogging. True story! STAY TUNED!
As always, remember to eat smart, train hard, and enjoy your life!
Love Always,
Janelle
