1. Move your body
Many studies show that people who are more physically active are also much less likely to get sick. You don’t need to do a huge workout, but get outside and move our body! Maybe grab a friend and go for a quick walk through the Arbo! Escaping into the fresh air not only gives you a break from all of the germs circulating inside, but also getting fresh air can actually boost your immune system.
2. Wash your hands
This may seem obvious, but it is extremely important. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, soap and water remain your most effective tools in avoiding illness.
Wash your hands regularly throughout the day!
Tips:
– Germs can grow on bar soaps, so use the pumped kind of soap!
– Lather soap for 20 seconds before rinsing.
– Make sure to completely dry your hands because damp hands are far more likely to spread bacteria than dry ones.
3. Eat well
Give your body what it needs by eating well! Your immune system needs fresh fruits and vegetables to fight illness. Although multivitamins boost your vitamin and mineral intake, the best and most natural way to stay healthy and fight off infections is through clean eating.
Tip: Variety is key! Try to have several different colors represented on your plate!
4. Get adequate sleep
Lack of sleep often leads to illness! Your immune system needs those Z’s to do its job well. If you are consistently not getting enough sleep, you are putting yourself at a higher risk for illness by preventing your body from protecting itself.
Tip: Make a goal of getting 8-9hrs of sleep per night!
5. Stay hydrated
The major protective surfaces on your body (besides your skin) are all wet. These surfaces all use a watery solution to form a protective layer, which catches germs and helps destroy them or flush them out. If you are dehydrated, these surfaces dry out and lose their protection, opening you up to infection.
6. Cut your nails
Most people don’t think about this but your nails carry tons of bacteria. Think about it this way, you touch a lot of things over the course of the day and while you might wash your hands, do you really wash underneath your nails? Often dirt and germs get trapped underneath and then get released over the course of the day. Keeping your nails short prevents you from carrying stowaways.
7. Relax
Taking time to chill out or unwind is often not a top priority for most people; however, it is extremely important to your health and to preventing illness. Being stressed actually increases your risk of catching a cold. As you become more and more stressed, your body begins to release more of the stress hormone, glucocorticoids. If you have less of these hormones in your body, then that impedes your body’s ability to produce the molecule cytokines. The cytokine molecule is vital in the activation of a disease-fighting response from your immune system. So be sure to set aside some time to hang out with friends, watch your favorite show on Netflix, and just relax!!
8. Get your flu shot
Getting a flu shot is one of the biggest forms of illness prevention! Getting the vaccination, although it doesn’t ultimately kill the virus, will decrease the impact of the flu and expunge of it at a much faster rate. It is the case that some people do experience a reaction from getting the vaccine; however, it is impossible to contract the flu from the flu shot its-self. The flu virus is extremely harmful. Many people each year are hospitalized because of it and even die as a result of the impact it has on their body. The flu can be a serious illness, so go out and get your flu shots!!!!
9. Take antibiotics
Take your antibiotics!!! If you start to feel sick don’t be afraid to take antibiotics, for example Airborne or Emergen-C. These are easily accessible and found at a majority of pharmacies such as CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens. Although antibiotics don’t completely prevent the illness, they greatly reduce the impact of the illness on your body in the long run. Airborne and Emergen-C come in all sorts of flavors, so you can chew or drink something yummy while helping your immune system at the same time.
10. Wash your sheets and keep your room clean
Germs and bacteria are all over and out of sight. It is very important that you take measures to eliminate any harmful bacteria or germs around your room in order to keep yourself healthy! Wash your sheets at least once every two or three weeks. Empty your trash before it becomes overflowing. Vacuum your rug and floor. Sanitize your desk, doorknob, and chair with disinfectant wipes. All of these methods are an easy way to stay healthy and keep you from becoming sick. Cleaning is not a lengthy operation and can be therapeutic! So get up and clean!!