Stay Healthy and Sick-free this Winter

We all have a tendency to blame the cold weather for seasonal illnesses, but it isn’t actually all about the freezing temperatures that make us more prone to getting sick. Weakened immune systems make us more susceptible to the onslaught of bacteria and viruses that seemingly spread like the plague. Though the weather itself actually helps keep diseases in check, not dressing appropriately makes your body inevitably open to attack.

Blame Your Immunity (and your habits) for that Cold

Thus, irresponsibility and a lack of attention to one’s personal health during this tough time of year is the primary reason why so many people have to pay a visit to the doctor’s office. Fortunately, to stay healthy is not that hard to do. Just make sure to keep your immunity up and you will be fine, although there are never any guarantees. Some viruses are too powerful for even the healthiest of us. However, the more physically fit you are, the quicker you will be able to recover from being sick.

3 Tips to Stay Healthy

• • Mind your manners

The best way to avoid getting sick (and to prevent spreading it to someone else) is to remember what you were told when you were a kid. Cover your mouth with your arm when you cough. Do not use your hands unless you absolutely have to, unless you plan on carrying a bottle of sanitizer around with you (and that is not a bad idea either). Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching public doorknobs and shaking hands with others. You simply cannot take any chances out there!

• • Keep your mouth clean

Aside from being a disgusting habit, failing to brush, floss and rinse your mouth with oral cleanser at least once a day can significantly increase your risk of contracting an illness or infection. At any given point in time, your mouth is full of food-borne bacteria that can play quite a toll on your immune system if left sitting idle for too long. Think of them as silent enemies; while your body is busy trying to stave off one an infection from oral bugs, it leaves itself open to attack from other airborne viruses.

• • Eat good foods

There are a few foods that everyone should stock up when winter comes around, namely those containing high quantities of immunity-bolstering vitamin C such as oranges. Yogurt is another one you probably did not think of. It contains a lot of healthy bacteria (yes they are not all bad), that work to keep your intestinal tract free from diseases. For beverages, black and green tea can be considered the holy grails of illness prevention. One study found that people who drank five cups a day for a period of two weeks were ten times less likely to get sick than those who did not!