Preparing for Cold and Flu Season

Winter is creeping up on us, and that means cold and flu season is near. Keeping yourself healthy during the winter months involves more than just eating right and exercising. It’s so important to make sure you’re keeping you and your surroundings extra clean to eliminate germs that could potentially make you sick. 

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Check out a few of these tips that can help cut down your risk of catching a cold or flu this winter:

If you touch or shake hands with anyone, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer. Touching someone else is an easy way to pick up germs, and washing your hands is the simplest way to eliminate them. Think about it—someone might be carrying cold or flu germs and just not displaying symptoms yet. Better safe than sorry. And if you know someone is sick, the best thing to do is avoid getting close to them if possible. 

While you’re at it, don’t touch your face. Touching anything and then touching your face is like asking to get sick. Germs can get in your body so easily through your eyes, nose and mouth.

Get plenty of rest. As colds and flus are being passed around this winter, don’t let something as simple as not getting enough sleep be the catalyst for making you sick. When you don’t get rest, your body is more susceptible to taking in those germs.

Clean, clean and clean some more. Though you should be meticulous about cleaning and disinfecting your surroundings year-round, it becomes even more critical during cold and flu season. If you touch someone with a cold and don’t wash your hands, you could bring those germs into your home. You might touch all sorts of things around your house and spread the germs. Be overly-cautious and take the time to regularly clean and disinfect things like your car keys, phone(s) and purse. In addition to these everyday items, make sure you are disinfecting things in your home that you touch often—like your TV remote, light switches or doorknobs.

Don’t share. Avoid sharing personal items like makeup, towels, drinking glasses or even food. The more you touch items that someone else has used or touch, the more likely you are to pick up germs. And with things like sharing food and/or drink, there’s really no way to disinfect once you’ve shared. Just forgo these things while cold and flu are running rampant.  

Do you have any other tips for avoiding illness during cold and flu season?