As the evenings get darker earlier and the summer heat begins to fade into crisp October nights, you might be enjoying fall too much to worry about the beginning of cold and flu season. FitClub wants you to stay active and healthy this year and has five easy ways for you to begin to prepare yourself and your loved ones in advance.
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Stay hydrated. Staying hydrated is an easy way to stay healthy and active all year, but it also helps ward off colds and the flu. Water may even be responsible for boosting your immune system to allow your body to better fight against the germs and viruses it encounters. If you need tea to stay hydrated and warmer this fall, be sure to drink decaffeinated tea. Caffeine can lead to dehydration and make you more susceptible to illness.
Eat healthier foods. Protein and fresh fruits and vegetables provide fuel for your body, as well as essential nutrients like Vitamin C that boost your immune system and enable your body to fight against any germs you might encounter.
Stay clean. No matter how well you prepare, you can’t avoid coming into contact with people already suffering from colds or the flu this time of year. By simply remembering to frequently wash your hands with hot water and soap you can prevent those germs from creating trouble for you. You should also be mindful of wiping down your FitClub equipment after each use this year to avoid sharing your germs with any fellow FitClub members! Keeping your office and personal items clean will also keep germs from infiltrating your life. Wiping down frequently used items like a keyboard, remote control, or a door knob might prevent outside germs from sneaking into your family.
Enjoy longer baths or showers. This advice might sound particularly good after a workout when the temperatures drop, but it’s also a practical way to ensure you won’t get sick this fall. The tiny hairs in our nasal passages, called cilia, benefit during the colder months when exposed to steam more frequently. Allowing your nose and sinus passages to soak up the extra steam from a warm bath or shower can help activate these small but powerful hairs that are responsible for keeping germs and viruses from entering the body and causing illness.
Exercise more! Of course FitClub wants you to stay active, and it’s particularly important to your health this time of year. According to researchers at Vanderbilt University, even a moderate workout can reduce the chance you’ll catch a cold or the flu by twenty-seven percent. Exercise doesn’t just strengthen your muscles, but also your immune system. Combined with the feel-good hormones that exercise naturally produces, staying active all fall will decrease your chances of taking time away from FitClub to recover from a nagging cold or worse!
Do you have any tested theories on how to stay healthy during cold and flu season?
