Tips for Avoiding Colds and Flu

It’s never easy to be sick; not only is it uncomfortable and often expensive to buy different medicines, but being sick negatively influences your entire body, energy levels and immune system. Catching a cold is a very easy weather it is summer of winter, especially if you have or work with small children, or even if you work in a confined space like an office. But do not panic – there are practical ways to avoid getting sick with a cold or flu.

Here are a few tips you can follow:

• Keep your hygiene in check: Every time you shake someone’s hand or even touch something in a public place, be sure to wash your hands under running water. Hand sanitizers are highly effective if washing hands isn’t an option.

• Hands off: Try not to touch your face, eyes or nose frequently with your hands, especially if you have been around someone with flu. These are common places where germs have access to the body to invade it.

• Get enough sleep: If your body is tired, it does not fight as hard against germs, which is why adequate sleep is very important. You need more sleep if you are sick in order for the body to regain its strength to fight infections.

• Eat healthy food: By eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, you will support your immune system and strengthen your entire body. Garlic is a very popular herb that helps with the building of the immune system since it is a natural antibiotic and antioxidant.

• Exercise: This is no secret. Staying active on a regular basis increases the body’s immune system and it can help to prevent you from catching a cold this winter.

• Exchange coffee for tea: Tea drinkers have blood cells that react five times more efficiently to germs than blood cells of coffee lovers because of the presence of catechins in tea. Catechins are potent chemicals that help your body fight viruses.

• Cut the stress: That stressed people are more likely to catch a cold. During times of anxiety, the hormone cortisol is released into the body, resulting in the suppression of the immune system and the ability for infection to set in.

Most health secrets are not secrets at all; simply living healthy and staying active can make a world of difference in your health and vitality. Colds and flu can be avoided if you take certain precautions and these tips should help you to shake off these symptoms easily this winter. 

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