What to do when you're under the weather: A sick day in the life of a trainer

Yep, that's right, yours truly is under the weather. I admittedly pushed my body harder than I should have this weekend when I felt a little susceptible and then Sunday night, BAM, full blown cough, runny nose, fever, the works. I admit I wasn't treating my body right in the lead up where I could have avoided all of of this. So now that I am here, what do I do?

1. Start my day with warm lemon water and cayenne. The lemon water aids digestion and the cayenne speeds your metabolism to help move through this awful phase.

2. A cup of mint tea to help open airways and soothe this nasty throat.

3. Greens powder drink and kombucha. Your gut is where your immunity lives, so treat it kindly when you are sick. Kombucha will give you live probiotics to help with nutrient uptake and utilization, and will help to proliferate the good bacteria to help fight the bad.

4. An array of fresh fruits and veggies: We all know they are good for you, but when you are sick they are an absolute necessity. Giving your body the base nutrients it needs to not only complete the chemical reactions in metabolism, but also gives your immune system a leg up and back up ammunition. My favorite ones to eat while I am sick are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, avocados, lemons, carrots, peppers and garlic. (we can talk more in depth on why when I'm feeling better!)

5. Do NOT eat sugar. The ability of your immune system to fight infection decreases in proportion to the intake of added sugar so just don't! Also, cancer feeds on sugar so cutting it out of your diet for at least 85% of the time is a pretty great idea!

6. MOVE! Do not lay in bed all day moaning! Your lymphatic system needs movement to function optimally. But also, your 5 AM HIIT workout can wait till you are feeling better. Walking, yoga and swimming are great options for purposeful movement while sick.

This is my game plan and it works for me every time! Now, I just to be more conscious of my body before I get here. Remember this is a journey of health we are on. We will ALL have ups and downs. It's how we handle those sways that defines us. Choose to grow through the down swings, not be held down by them!