5 TIPS TO HELP YOU STAY HEALTHY THIS AUTUMN

As the days start to get shorter and the temperature drops, I thought I would give you a few tips on how to support your body in this transitional time. Living according to the seasons can help us stay healthy in body and in mind. I hope that you will find these simple suggestions helpful.

1. Start wearing a Haramaki
These Japanese lower back-warmers are great at protecting your kidneys – especially useful if you cycle to work or spend a lot of time outdoors. As they warm the lower abdomen and they can also be helpful for digestion or difficult menses.

2. Switch to warming foods
It’s a good idea to move from salads to porridge in the morning, soup for lunch and stews for dinner. Warm food is easier for the body to digest and absorb nutrients.

3. Cook with pungent warming herbs and spices
According to Chinese medicine, and with similar benefits to eating warm foods, “warm” spices – such as turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger and garlic – aid circulation, digestion and the absorption of key nutrients.

4. Skin brushing
Skin brushing is great for your immune system. Using a soft brush or rough towel brush your skin vigorously up your limbs in the direction of your heart. This is widely believed to assist normal lymph flow within the body and helps the body detoxify itself.

5. Don’t go out with wet hair and make sure to wear a scarf
A well-known “old wives’ tale” perhaps, but it’s important to protect your neck from the cold and wind because cold weather is a stressor on the body – so wrap-up warm and enjoy the changing seasons in comfort!

“The beat of drums and the blustering of summer fade away. Everything becomes quiet, more introspective, sad. Autumn always comes with such beauty.” Jaak Drees