There’s a lot of advice out there on how to stay well during cold and flu season. You’ve probably already heard most of it:
- Wash your hands
- Don’t touch your face
- Disinfect high-touch areas
- Avoid interacting with people who are sick
These tried and true tips really can help you stay well when everyone else around you seems to be getting sick, but the list definitely isn’t complete.
Here are three additional ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season that you may not have heard before.
Wash What Normally Doesn’t Get Washed
Quite a bit of time is spent talking about the importance of disinfecting high-touch areas. What gets talked about less is all the stuff that needs to get thrown in the washing machine.
When was the last time you washed decorative pillows on the bed or the couch? How about throw blankets and your child’s stuffy? What about coats and sweatshirts?
Think about the high-touch items in your home that can’t be wiped clean and throw them in the washing machine more often when cold and flu season rolls around.
Go For a Walk Outside
Exercise comes with many health-boosting benefits, like reducing stress, which can reduce your susceptibility to illness. Outdoor air comes with many health benefits too.
When you're outside, you take deeper breaths, which has the ability to clean out your lungs. It also helps more oxygen flow in your blood and around your body, which can reduce your chances of getting sick. And those benefits aren’t diminished just because it’s cold outside!
Head outside for a walk, especially in the winter when the temperatures are low. You’ll come back from your trek feeling refreshed. Not to mention, getting some time away from the germs that are prevalent indoors may be just what you need to boost your immune system so you don’t get sick.
Take the Right Vitamins and Minerals Consistently
You have probably heard that you should take the right vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C and zinc, to prevent illness in the winter. What’s more important is taking these supplements consistently.
Guzzling orange juice in a panic at the first sign of a cold is better than nothing, but it isn’t likely to be very helpful. Instead, you should plan to drink a small cup of orange juice every morning, whether you feel like you’re getting sick or not.
Whether you’re drinking juice, eating more zinc-packed seeds and nuts, or taking a supplement, you have to make it part of your routine. Tooktake labels can help with that!
Our daily reminder labels can be stuck to supplement bottles, juice bottles, and even food packaging to make sure you take, drink, and eat your way to better health in the winter. All you have to do is tear off the tab when you’ve had your dose and you’ll boost your chances of staying well all cold and flu season long!
Photo by Fran Jacquier on Unsplash