5 Tips for Fighting the Flu This Season
By Genevieve Cunningham
It’s not quite fall, but the season is rapidly approaching. While this brings some wonderful perks like big sweaters, cold nights, bonfires, and pumpkin flavored everything, it also brings cold and flu season. Yuck. This is not the time of year to be sick! If you would like to keep cold and flu far away from your home, check out these five tips for fighting germs and keeping you and your loved ones well.
Wash Your Hands
During cold and flu season, it helps to wash your hands more than usual. Germs and illness are everywhere. After you touch something that gets used often, wash your hands. After you cough or sneeze, wash again. If you shake hands with someone, wash again. This helps keep germs off of your hands and away from your face, which means fewer germs to make you sick.
Take Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an immune booster. It’s incredibly beneficial in fighting illness and keeping you healthy. If you’d like to get it naturally, look to citrus fruits such as oranges or pineapple, or you can eat dark leafy greens such as spinach or kale. Or for an easier way, buy a simple supplement and take one every day.
Drink Chicken Broth
Chicken soup has healing properties. It’s not just a myth or a saying that your mother used to say. She was actually completely right! Stock your kitchen cabinet with chicken broth, and drink it regularly to help boost your immune system and keep illnesses away.
Cover Your Mouth
You’ve been taught this before, but this is more than just covering a sneeze. Though important as well, you should also cover your mouth when in cold weather. This not only prevents germs, but also protects your nose and throat from the cold air. Use a scarf or other simple device to keep your mouth covered and sickness far away.
Exercise
Exercise has a way of boosting your energy levels as well as your immune system. If you want to stay well, make exercise a part of your normal routine. Working out at least four days a week is ideal, though any regular schedule will certainly be better than nothing. Take a walk, go for a jog, or find some other way to get moving.
You may not be able to avoid every germ and every illness, but you can certainly give yourself a fighting chance. Use these tips to prevent sickness in your home and to keep you and your loved ones healthy and strong all season long.