Beat Flu Season!

9:21 AM | Labels: #TheHealthGuru

Flu season feels like it's never-ending; just when you think it's over, your classmate that you spend every school hour with has to skip classes because they're really sick. If you're like me, you become a hypochondriac when this happens, amounting your tiredness from that closing shift at work and that random, lone sneeze to the beginnings of a flu. It's the worst being sick and cooped up in bed all day and you want to do anything to avoid it. Plus, most of us make minimum or close to minimum wage, we can't afford that expensive cold medicine! For this reason, I've compiled a list from a few other health blogs about how to avoid getting sick, and you can start before the paranoia kicks in.

Wash your hands. This one's the old favorite for staying healthy and sick free. Come on, it's an obvious ones. Bacteria and viruses are contagious and transferable; some can live for a long time on an inanimate object where some sick person left them after blowing their noise into their hand and touching it. It's completely gross. And what's worse? Bostonians constantly take the T where you have to hold onto something that a million other people touched already. You think the MBTA cleans those things? I think not. Keep anti-bacterial soap handy on you at all times, then you don't have to worry about finding a bathroom after touching all those public surfaces. And just as good practice, always wash your hands before preparing or eating food, it's the easiest way to catch something.
Wash your cellphone and other gadgets you use daily. Most people don't think of this one because they think washing your hands is enough. But I can bet any one of you that you touch your cellphone, iPod, iPad, Kindle, etc after touching a public surface and before washing your hands. You think the bacteria and viruses just disappear? Wash your gadgets daily. Go a step further and clean off everything in your living space that you touch daily: your laptop, the remote, the refrigerator handle, etc. These seem silly but when was the last time you cleaned them off? If the answer is never, you're harboring a whole colony of bacteria on those items.
Don't touch your face. The only way bacteria and viruses can affect you is if you let them into your body. And what's the best entrance? Through the mucous membranes located in your eyes, mouth, and nose. So keep your hands away from those areas and you'll have less of a chance of getting sick!
Avoid those around you who are sick. You gotta be up front with them. Just say "sorry, I know you're sick and I can't risk getting sick because of [insert excuse here]." It's that easy, and trust me, they'll understand and back off. Don't share anything with them and do not touch them. They are a breeding ground for bacteria who want to spread. If they're a sneezer or cougher, try to stay as far away as possible since all those nasty germs will be air borne around them. And just as an extra precaution, stay away from anyone who informs you that someone they live with/are intimately close with is sick. They are most likely carrying germs on them which can infect you.
Make sure you get enough sleep. I say this all the time, sleep is your best friend. It's been in my tips a few times, and for good reason. It's recently been backed up by science that sleep can, in fact, help deter a cold. Don't believe me? SummerTomato wrote a similar list to mine which referenced this scientific fact. Check it out here.
Stay hydrated. I'm not saying you have to chug 8 glasses of water a day, but try to stay hydrated with as much fluids as possible. This means lots of water, orange juice, apple juice, etc. However, this does not include alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates you, so it's the last thing you want to drink when you feel like a cold is coming on. Your body needs those extra fluids when it's trying to fight off a germ within you, so help it out a little by making sure you have those fluids inside of you.
Eat healthy. This one is similar to stay hydrated. Your body NEEDS the right vitamins and minerals to fight off the sickness, so try to eat healthy when you feel like you're coming down with something. Don't eat foods that induce inflammation like sugars and starches because your body is already weak. Eat foods with lots of Vitamins C and D in them, or you could...
Take vitamins and supplements. Some doctors recommend increasing your Vitamin C intake by 500 mg, twice daily when you're at risk of getting sick. Other doctors recommend taking Vitamin D supplements since most people are deficient this time of year in that vitamin from lack of sun due to early sundown. The amount of Vitamin D you take should depend on how much sun you receive during the day. I say, take both vitamins. Better safe than sorry. The easiest way to do this is to take supplements which can be bought at any grocery store for a modest price.