5 Tips to Stay Well in the Winter
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.
Having 3 kids in school means a lot of germs, especially during the cold winter months. There’s germs coming and there’s germs going. If we loosen our guard, we’re all bound to come down with some ridiculous illness that makes its way around and then back again. So a good offense is where it starts. But we also need to play defense. It’s how any good team wins a championship. Or comes out of the cold and flu season reasonably healthy.
There are a few ways to stay well during the winter months, however. First, is to make sure you have a good medical team on call just in case the need arises. A family physician is important, but there are other areas like allergies that can affect people in the winter-time. Doctors like Dr. Summit Shah specialize in allergies and asthma, which can flare up in the cold winter months. Making sure we’re well from the start definitely helps in the long run.
Aside from that, these are my 5 main tips to keep those school germs at bay. And school germs are any germs, because they have to originate from somewhere.
5 Tips to Stay Well in the Winter
1. Wash Your Hands – We’ve heard this said many times before, but it’s true. Hand washing is the number 1 way to prevent disease and illness. The CDC recommends scrubbing your hands with a lather of soap and water for at least 20 seconds. And they suggest humming the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice as a timer.
2. Supply Hand Sanitizer – Hand washing is always best, but we still like to keep bottles of hand sanitizer handy. It’s an extra layer of protection and great to use when first coming in the door until you can get to a sink.
3. Throw Clothes in the Dryer – After a long day at school or out running errands, we try to make it a habit to throw our coats, hats, and gloves, at least, in the dryer. It’s been said that high heat drying for at least 28 minutes is the most effective way to kill viruses. But, the “high heat” setting is key.
4. Wipe Used Surfaces – It’s so important to wipe all common surfaces regularly with a disinfectant. These include doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, microwaves, faucets, and toilet flushers, but also don’t forget phones, remote controls, game controls, and computer keyboards which can be wiped with sanitizer cloths.
5. Get Enough Rest and Eat Right – The best way to keep healthy is to treat yourself right. Proper rest and relaxation manages daily stress, and that stress can hurt your immune system. Plus, a diet rich in vitamin C and vitamin D provides your body with the nutrients your immune system needs to give it it’s best fight.
In short, some germs are simply going to put up a better fight. There’s no way to come away completely scot free, not when there’s this many heads and hands in a house. We’ve already had a few illnesses make their way at the beginning of the season, before our guards were up. Now that a game plan has been put in place, however, we’re on our way to a germ-free touchdown. I know it could be a lot worse, though, and for that I’m always thankful.