5 habits to stay healthy, including eating right, sleeping and washing your hands.
Hello cold and flu season! I hope you and your family are healthy. For us so far, it has been a better year than the last. Maybe my 3 school age kids are finally building up some immunity and not bringing every disease home? I’m not sure but I’ll take it. We still have a couple of colds during the year and of course, plenty of snot. Today, I’m sharing 5 sick prevention habits we use to stay healthy during cold and flu season.
**Keep reading for a hand wash gift basket giveaway!
Wash your hands
Washing your hands is one of the most useful ways to avoid getting sick. We get so many germs on our hands and then touch our faces, eat food, etc. putting these nasty germs into our bodies. You should wash your hands every time you use the bathroom, before cooking, after being around someone who is sick, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Be sure to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you need help keeping track of time, you can hum the “happy birthday” song twice. If you cannot wash your hands with soap and water for any reason, you can use hand sanitizer. Look for one with at least 60% alcohol.
I learned so much about people’s hand washing habits from Research on hygienic hand washing by the Bradley company. This is an annual survey of just over 1,000 Americans about their handwashing habits, use of public bathrooms and their concerns about seasonal viruses.
Results of the 2024 Healthy Handwashing Survey
- 74% of people wash their hands more often or better in response to seasonal virus outbreaks.
- 54% of people wash their hands more often when they are sick.
- 77% of people wash their hands on a road trip.
- 89% of people wash their hands after using a public bathroom.
- 95% of people believe that washing their hands is important for health.
Eat a nutritious diet
Focusing on a nutrient-dense diet can help you stay healthy. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of protein, whole grain carbohydrates, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and plenty of water for hydration are key ingredients. You should aim for 4-7 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Eating for optimal health is not about eating any food. It’s about balancing and filling your body with nutrient-dense foods to fuel you and help you feel better.
Some nutrients that can help your immune system are: beta-carotene (carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes), vitamin C (citrus, peppers, strawberries), vitamin D (egg yolks and fortified milk), zinc (meat), and probiotics (a. supplement or yogurt).
Get lots of sleep
I sound like a broken record with this advice when it comes to telling my kids how to stay healthy, but really, sleep is so important to feeling better. I swear, whenever I have a bad week of sleep (which is not unusual for me), that’s when I tend to get sick. According to the Mayo Clinic, lack of sleep affects your immune system. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, and if you do get sick, you may not recover as quickly if you don’t get enough rest. Seven to 8 hours of sleep a night is recommended for adults and more for children and teenagers.
Keep your distance from those who are sick
Sometimes, this advice is easier said than done. If you are often around children, chances are you have a good amount of germs. If you see someone coughing, blowing their nose, or talking about how sick they’ve been, it may be helpful to keep some distance to avoid getting sick. Of course you won’t be able to avoid all diseases, but hopefully some! I tell my kids this all the time. If your friend is sick, don’t touch him!
Take your supplements
We skip vitamins almost all summer, but in the winter months, we try to take our vitamins as often as we remember. My whole family takes multivitamins, omega-3s and probiotics regularly. When I know we were around someone who was sick or if someone in my family starts showing signs of illness, we start taking an elderberry supplement which is rich in antioxidants and can help boost your immune system. The most important thing is to get plenty of nutrients through food, but I know that sometimes, we fall short and taking supplements helps make sure we get the nutrients we need.
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Give away
Giveaway will be for this hand wash gift basket to 2 winners.
This post is sponsored by Bradley Company.
