It is a relatively dreaded occurrence during certain times of the year; it is inevitable that at certain times, you will be exposed to the cold and the flu. Whether it be coworkers or your kids classmates, or simply the general public: you will run into sick people this year.
Although you cannot totally prevent yourself from being exposed the flu, can do certain things to not only prevent it, but also to increase your probability of staying healthy during the worst of strains.
Take these tips to heart during flu season for your best chances at staying healthy this year:
1. Wash your hands all of the time
Note a fan of washing your hands or staying clean in general? Well then, change your habits, because germs are spread like wildfire through various surfaces, food, and through hand to hand contact extremely frequently. Any time you have come in contact with a public place, touched an item in a public area (including handling money), or shaken someone’s hand, it is imperative that you wash your hands to minimize exposure to the flu germs.
2. Get your sleep each and every night
It is seriously important that you hit the snooze more and more each night: your body needs time to repair from mental and physical exhaustion and also to prepare itself for defending against the flu. The longer you sleep, the more your body has time to build up the antibodies and white blood cell counts required to fight the flu and keep you healthy all year this year. Snooze on!
3. Keep track of how you feel
It is extremely important and often overlooked to listen to your body and let it tell you what to do based on how it feels. You should take care to monitor fever related to serious conditions as well as signs of the flu so that you can rest at the onset of any incoming negative feelings. Feeling burned out and susceptible to illness? Get more sleep and rest tonight to make sure your body can fight the flu and carry on with every day life tomorrow morning!
4. Exercise at a regular interval
If you are already a health and fitness nut, you may already be aware of the importance of exercising at a regular interval or frequency. Exercising gets the blood flowing and allows the body to use circulation to deliver nutrients in the bloodstream. Nutrient delivery allows for quicker access for antibodies to tissues and also allows the nutrients you put into your body diet to get everywhere they need to go to keep you healthy and flu-free for the season.
Summary
I hope these tips have helped you out in regard to staying healthy and away from the flu this season. If you are in public places like work, school, or airports this year, you will have to take extra care to avoid any germs related to the flu.
Protect yourself and protect your family (by not bringing illness home) by washing your hands, getting the right amount of sleep, tracking how you feel, and by exercising regularly to keep the flu at bay and at the doorstep: your body and your family will thank you for it!
Agree or disagree with some of my tips for avoiding the flu? Comment below and we can discuss right away what the best practices are for keeping you flu-free this year! 🙂