I tend to take very good care of my health. I take Vitamin C and other vitamin supplements daily, exercise 5-6 times per week, sleep 7 -10 hours a night, and eat tons of produce. As the majority of my friends continually caught viruses this season, I thought that because of my healthy living habits I had diverged the fall bugs. That is until I woke up the other morning completely congested, with a sore throat, and a minor cough. How did this happen?  I guess “’tis the season for giving” applies to illness as well!

I was curious to find out how my lifestyle wasn’t foolproof for warding off the season’s notorious colds and flus. According to Women’s Health Magazine here are the best 6 ways to fight off the flu.

1) Wash Up: Washing your hands throughout the day is the #1 way to fight off the fall and winter bugs. Make sure you use plenty of soap and lather your entire hands up to your wrists for at least 20 seconds. Additionally, you can use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.

2) Add Some Moisture to Your Air: Humid air may kill flu viruses. Use a humidifier to keep the humidity around 40-60%.

3) Watch Your Alcohol Intake: More than one drink can inhibit your white blood cells’ ability to fight viruses for up to 24 hours. Stick to no more than one drink per day.

4) Vitamin C is Not Enough: Believe it or not, the antioxidant has never been proven to actually prevent illness nor speed up recovery.

5) Keep on Sleeping: Those who get 7 or less hours of sleep per night are three times more likely to catch the cold
than those who get 8 or more hours. Lack of sleep can increase your body’s production of cytokines, proteins that produce cold symptoms.

6) “Taste the Rainbow”: Brightly colored fruits and veggies carry immune-boosting antioxidants which fight free radical cells. The more vibrant the color the better such as berries, red beans, peppers, and pomegranates. Green tea helps too!

 

-Emily Freeman