Or how I want everyone around me, who is sneezing, coughing, wheezing and just plain miserable to take care of themselves.
There you have it. Everywhere I look, people are miserable, fighting the flu or other nasty bugs. Maybe you’ve already gotten the flu vaccine, but that doesn’t mean you’re fully protected (sorry!). Some people develop a higher immunity than others; but sadly, the success rate hovers at about 60 percent.
News Flash: If you exercise before or after you get the shot, you can boost its effectiveness – honest. Exercise activates part of your immune system. Here’s some info about that phenomenon.
So, what else can you do to improve your odds of staying healthy?
- Get enough sleep. Lack of shut-eye suppresses your body’s immune system and its ability to fight off illness.
- Since you’re spending more time indoors with other people (and their germs), make sure to
shun all contactwash your hands thoroughly if you’ve touched/shaken hands with your friends or neighbors. (Repiratory viruses can live on…and on…and on). - Stock up on alcohol hand gels – they’re easy to carry around and handy to use if you get stuck somewhere sans soap and water.
- If you use a humidifier to keep the lining of your nostrils moist, make sure to refill it daily – and use distilled water, since water can harbor bacteria.
Spring is coming…but just not soon enough!
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I follow your tips, but alas I’m one of the ones who get every cold that comes down the pike. I think I got my most recent cold on a train trip back from NYC to CT; the one before that I got from a service rep at AT&T (yet another reason to hate them). It’s hard to stay clear of people with germs!
Anyway, stay well and don’t get this latest cold…it is really nasty and lingers!
Oh, no. I hope your health is on the mend, Nancy. I’m keeping fingers crossed I don’t catch the nasty stuff that seems to be everywhere.
I know what you are talking about…I am surrounded by sick people. My husband is finally over it and I did not catch it yet but I don’t know how. Every night for 2 weeks he would suddenly wake with uncontrollable coughing right in my direction! I had to sleep with my back to him all night just to be safe! The grandkids haven’t been sick yet thank goodness because they are always kissing, hugging and touching me and I never have a beverage around them that isn’t shared…even if behind my back, haha.
Let’s hope we can make it thru this flu season without getting sick.
Holly
You must have a very strong immune system, Holly. Hope you make it through the rest of the flu season without a sniffle!
And I would add – STAY HOME if you’re already sick! I can’t believe the people who head out into the community knowing full well that they’ll be passing their virus along.
Kris recently posted..Recipe: Homemade Mayonnaise
Can’t agree with you more, Kris. Too many hacking people all over the place, sharing their germs with unsuspecting innocents.
Did not know about the humidifier tip. Thanks. There are so many sick people around. I agree with Kris. Wish they would just stay home!
Glad I could offer you a good tip, Alexandra!
Unfortunately, I think there’s something almost American about gritting your teeth and showing you’re tough enough to come to work even though you’re sick. It’s absolutely nuts — but how many times have I gotten exposed to dread diseases because of that kind of can-do attitude? I am now going to commune with my Neti pot.
ruth pennebaker recently posted..It’s Not About the Car — Or Maybe It Is
Re. that Neti pot…make sure you use distilled water for that, too. And feel better, Ruth!
That’s pretty cool about the exercise before the shot thing. I never knew that. Great tip!
Alisa Bowman recently posted..The Thank You Cure
Yes, I thought that was a cool tip too. I think the docs need to send their patients from their shots straight to the gym.
Knock on wood … we’ve been cold / flu free at our house … so far. Staying HOME a lot helps.
Roxanne @ Champion of My Heart recently posted..Adverse Rabies Vaccine Reaction: The Year in Pictures, Part 4
True, Roxanne. Your own home – as long as you don’t invite sick visitors in – can keep you healthy!
If I feel like I’m getting sick I have a cold cocktail I start taking full of vitamins and herbs.
Living Large recently posted..Hindsight and Insight on Little House Living
Good way to stave off a cold, LL.
I hope you will post more about HOW to get enough sleep. That is one of my challenges.
I am surrounded by illness. But have managed so far to avoid them all. One thing that really helps is elderberry, a remedy used by Native Americans in Oregon.
Hope I’m not jinxing myself by writing this.
Ah, ah-choo
Jennifer,
I swear by Elderberry, too. It hasn’t failed me yet.
(Hope I’m not jinxing myself either…)
I also try to avoid crowds. Even movie theaters can be a menace when the person next to you is sneezing.
Irene S. Levine recently posted..Guest Post: Why introverts have (even more) trouble making friends
So far I haven’t gotten the flu even though one of my kids had it and its been going around here. I’ve noticed that at the gym and in the schools they’re putting up hand sanitizers for people to use–and I use them whenever I see one. Any tips on keeping your hands from drying out with all the washing/sanitizing?
You’re lucky that it hasn’t hit you. When my kids were younger, it seemed that I picked up just about everything they did. No tips on keeping hands from drying out, except to say each time you use hand sanitizer, follow it with a big dollop of hand lotion.
Unfortunately most parents can’t use my foolproof way of staying well. Stay away form school-age kids! (Does the exercise before shot thing work for all kinds of shots?)
Vera Marie Badertscher recently posted..WIN Harry Potter Poster Books
Good question, Vera. The study did not say – it was specific to flu shots. But definitely something to think about.
I got stuck on “stock up on alcohol…”
Jane Boursaw recently posted..Women Filmmakers Rule at Sundance: Lake Bell, Lynn Shelton and Many Others
Ha! My hubby had the same reaction as you, Jane. Wishful thinking?
Good advice and I’ll add this tip. When going to the doctor’s office or hospital (or anywhere for that matter), bring our own pen and use it. Don’t use the one that all the other sick people have touched.
Donna Hull recently posted..Finding romance in Poland