Change of Seasons: Avoid getting sick

It's the tail end of two very intense seasons: stupidly long winter and one freaking hot and endless summer. More people get sick in March than any time of year, mostly because we don’t transition well out of the season we are leaving behind.

Osmosis is a process as important to us as it is to fish. Call me crazy, but I think of osmosis more often than I care to admit. Ok fine, my name is Chantelle and I am an osmosis addict. How I eat and exercise - exist, really - is in direct response to the weather. And the moon phase, but I'll save that titillating story for another day.

Let the elements dictate how you nurture your body. If it’s hot and sticky outside, eat cooling foods and light meals, so heat wont accumulate and stagnate inside the body. The same common sense says that on dark winter days, withhold heat by eating warming foods.

It’s when we move away from one extreme type of weather, we need to take care and transition slowly. Here are some tips.

 Northern Hemisphere

Spring is coming. Really. It could literally be just days before the wind starts to feel humid. In the meantime, make plans.

Your body will want to shed the accumulated mucous garnered by the winter, vata-pacifying diet. Make plans to cleanse, and eating more detoxifying foods such as beets, bitter greens, apples, pomegranates, millet, buckwheat, adzuki beans. You’ll want to exercise more, eat bitter foods and breathe deeply.

Golden rule: Eat what is in season.

 Southern Hemisphere

For those of us heading into Autumn (fall) we will have accumulated a lot of heat over the summer, and the coming dry, cool winds can unground us. Apples and pomegranates will extract any excess heat, but too much can dampen and cool our system.

Ground yourself by eating foods that are in season, such as root vegetables. Add warming spices to other dishes to fortify your system. Shield the back of your neck from wind. It’s a particularly vulnerable area of the body which, if left exposed, can destabilize the harmony of your internal systems.

Create routine, and plan wintry exercise routines such as tai chi and yoga. It’s an amazing time of year to begin creative projects – unless you want to build a large boat.

Remember, osmosis is your friend. Let it in - and out.