Vocal Health
Staying Fit Throughout the Cold Season
It’s fall season, I love this season for it’s holiday’s, decorations, cookies etc. but it’s also the season for sickness unfortunately.Is it normal to be sick every once in a while? I always pride myself in having a strong immune system and hardly ever get sick but this week even I was knocked out for a day. Knowing my body, I immediately took precautious measures. I put myself on vocal rest, drank more than one gallon of tee, inhaled with sea salt water, meditated and slept as much as possible. Within 24-48 hours the worst part was gone. Here’s an advice from one of my mentor teachers: ”Treat yourself as though you are sick, from October - March, even when you aren't sick.”.
What does it take to have a Healthy Voice?
#1. Sleep more: most people need 7-8 hours of sleep per night, some need even 9 hours. Your body regenerates and heals during sleep, so give your body that time. If your schedule really doesn’t fit 7-8 hours per night, find a way to take a power nap during the day.
#2. Hydrate: try to drink 10-14 cups of water throughout the day.Hydration does not occur by drinking large amounts of water right before a performance, it has to occur daily and constantly. Lemon water is my favorite as it boosts your Vitamin C and tastes great.
#3. Steam: At least once a day for 10 minutes. Steaming should be finished 30 minutes before singing, to allow vocal cords time to absorb the hydration. If you don’t have a steam inhaler, just heat up water in a pan, add sea salt and inhale the steam through your nose and your mouth.
#4. Nasal Shower: If you are routinely dealing with sinus congestion, use a nasal rinse (neti pot).
#5. Wash your hands: do this definitely before you eat, touch your mouth and multiple times throughout the day. In addition, I always keep a hand sanitizer handy.
#6. Emergency immune support: the list of emergency immune supporters is long, my favorite is Homeopathic (Aconitum Napellus D30), and Oregano Oil. At the first sign of a cold, put 6 drops of Oregano oil in filtered water and drink it as a shot. Do this twice daily (morning and evening) until you feel stable again.
#7. Eat healthy: Sticking to a clean diet without sugar or fast food seems to be particularly challenging during the holiday season, but it’s a great way to keep you healthy and your voice happy.
#8. Meditate and Relax: On YouTube you will find wonderful guided meditations for healing your body and relaxation. Our body does not get sick when we are relaxed, but when something is out of balance and we stress or worry. After writing this list, I must say that I’ve definitely tripped over #1 and #7 in the past few weeks which is probably why I got a cold. At least my immune system beat the cold very fast after I applied all 8 steps mentioned above….and balance is restored :) Stay healthy, to Happy Singing
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