Hello my friends and Welcome to the blog.

I intended to post this on Monday but fatigue got the best of me, and I needed some time to recoup from the Thanksgiving holiday. (Which I still haven’t fully recovered…lol) When you’re tired you set the stage for sickness to creep in.

Today I’m talking about safeguarding yourself from that dreaded Winter cold. When my daughter was in school I caught everything, so know that being in close proximity to someone that’s sick is sometimes unavoidable.

This also happens at work because as I type this … everyone in my office is coughing and sneezing.

10 Ways to Safeguard Your Body from Winter Colds

1. Wash Your Hands … Often I can’t stress enough how important it is to wash your hands frequently. This is a great way to safeguard you from the common cold, but it’s also just plain good business. When you come in from outside, wash your hands … when using the restroom … wash your hands and before you prepare your meals … (you get it!) wash your hands.

WebMD says … To completely get rid of viruses from your skin, you need to scrub hard for 20 seconds or more. A good way to time yourself is to sing “Happy Birthday” twice while scrubbing the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. It doesn’t matter if the water’s hot or cold — the very act of scrubbing will physically remove the germs.

2. Keep Your Area’s Clean at the Workplace My office is a breeding ground for germs. I mean the stories I could tell you would make your hair stand on end. I’m always armed with Clorox or Lysol wipes to keep my desk and surrounding areas clean. I spray my doorknobs, wipe down my keyboard and mouse or anything that someone else might touch.

I’m also very weary of community food, candy dishes, and leftover catering. As you know there are several folks who don’t wash their hands or, who are at the tale end or beginning of a cold who are touching and eating out of the same areas that you do, so this might be the time where you don’t eat those homemade cookies or brownies, because you may get more than calories with each and every bite.

Alison Carey, MD, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Drexel University, tells Health. “Flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces (like bus poles) and infect another person for 24 to 48 hours,” she says. “Cold viruses don’t survive as long—usually a few hours. But there is evidence that they can survive and be passed on for up to 24 hours.”

3. Don’t Touch Your Face How many times do you touch your face in a day? Most people touch their faces at least 40% of the time without even realizing it. This is especially import to remember even if you don’t ride public transit. It’s just good practice, and if you do have to touch your face, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Dr. Mengel from Health.com says … Your nose and your eyes are the most common places for germs to get into your body, so it’s best to avoid touching your face at all (that goes doubly for biting your nails, where germs can live) at least not until you’ve washed your hands.

4. Eat enough fruits and veggies I know most folks don’t even think about this one, but this would be the main reason that I get sick because I slack on the important nutrients that my body needs. It’s not just about safeguarding your body on the outside but also about what you put into it. It’s the holiday season and sweets and rich foods are wonder so it’s really hard to eat healthy all the time.

Jeff Robertson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Regence says … eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can help support your immune system. That means it can give your body an even better chance of fighting off colds or the flu.

5. Get Enough Rest On a scale of importance … rest is at the top of the list.  Again this is usually how I get sick, by not eating properly and getting enough rest.  Sleep is so important because when your tired your body is able to fight off the germs.

It’s also interesting how children fight off colds just by sleeping.  It’s the most natural way to heal.  When you’re in your 20s and 30s sometimes you burn the candle at both ends in your day-to-day life, and I don’t remember needing as much sleep but I remember how good a nap could feel.  Now in my 50s, I know that sleep is the most important thing you can do to keep your body tip-top.

6. Get that D Vitamin D is essential in protecting your immune system, and most folks don’t even think about it.  Make sure you get your daily dosage in foods, vitamins, and good old sunlight.

Reports indicate that many Americans fall short of their daily vitamin D requirements. Deficiencies in vitamin D may lead to symptoms such as poor bone growth, cardiovascular problems, and a weak immune system. (source // healthline)

7. Exercise This may be conditional according to how bad you feel.  If you’ve got flu-like symptoms then moving when your body aches is probably not a good idea, but if your talking about safeguarding from a cold then regular exercise is  another one of natures medicines.

Healthline says that walking just three times a week can help accelerate the circulation of disease-fighting white blood cells (WBCs), which helps the body fight the common cold.

9. Be Happy Doing what you love is a great way to ease stress and the sadness that can accompany a cold or the flu.  The endorphins released from laughter can boost your immune system.

Carl Charnetski, MD, professor of psychology at Wilkes University, found that sex, positive thinking, playing with a pet, and other pleasurable behaviors boost your immune system—making it harder for viruses to stick.  (source // health.com)

10. Stay Away from folks that are sick This is a no-brainer.  I realize that there are some people you can’t avoid. (i.e., a husband or wife, and children) but in the workplace you can avoid folks that are sick. This could also mean hugging, sharing food, or any personal objects. There is a whole other issue behind people that come to work sick … but that’s for another day.

I don’t get colds on a regular basis so catching one really knocks me off my axis (so to speak).  I know I’m a bit manic at work, but I travel via public transportation so if I blow my know, I use sanitizer after, when I’m touch poles or knobs I will typically wear gloves.

Now these things don’t completely keep you from getting sick but I’ve heard so many home-made or made up things over the years that it’s hard to distinguish what’s-what … like germs live longer on soft fabrics, so leather is better, and to cover up your extremities in colder weather … etc.-etc. (lol)

So I hope this info is helpful at safeguarding you from that dreaded winter cold.  Thanks so much for visiting my blog today, be well and stay warm. – Peace.

Photo Credits

Header … Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Wash Hands … Photo by jackmac34
Workplace … Photo by Serpstat
Food Buffet … Photo by Kaboompics.com
Face … Photo by Leighann Renee on Unsplash
Fruits Veggies … Photo by Anyt_Havaub
Sleep … Photo by DANNY G on Unsplash
Vitamin D … Photo by Nikolai Chernichenko on Unsplash
Exercise … Photo by Elle Hughes
Be Happy … Photo by Giulia Freitas from Pexels

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