Tips - How To Ward Off Illness This Flu Season

Winter is well and truly upon us, and sadly, it brings with it a greater risk of succumbing to unwanted illnesses and bugs, which can get in the way of you living your life. However, your body has the tools at its disposal to help ensure that you outlast the germ-ridden icy grip of Winter, and keep feeling fabulous throughout, and there are certain everyday lifestyle choices that you can make to ensure these tools are working.

Learn more about keeping healthy and happy with our definitive guide to how you can ward off illness this flu season.

What Should I Eat?

image of different types of super foods to show what you should eat

First and foremost we need to take a look at what you're eating and how that might be able to help. Sunlight has the ability to trigger a change in our diet and so, salads have fallen off the menu, make sure you're still getting a hearty supply of nutrient-rich vegetables as they can really make a difference when keeping your body protected from germs. Take a look at what vegetables are in season too because you might even be able to save money opting for certain ingredients.

Among the best foods that you should eat are green vegetables like broccoli, peas, spinach and green beans as they are all wonderfully high in healthy vitamins and fibre. You can also benefit from a hearty daily protein intake from the likes of red meat, poultry and fish, or beans and pulses if you aren’t fond of meat. Protein is the multi-purpose construction material in your body and is used to make almost anything, including your white blood cells, the first line of defence against bacteria. Additionally high protein food reduces food intake.

What Should I Drink?

glass of water to show what to drink to prevent illness

It might not be hot enough to make you sweat outside, but you should always ensure that you're getting enough water because dehydration can cause you to get ill! When you aren’t drinking all that life-giving water, why not opt for juices and smoothies that are packed with fruit to give you a health-enhancing vitamin boost? And if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, maybe just add a vitamin C tablet to your water in the morning?

What Else Can I Take?

image of spoons holding softgels capsules and tablets

Speaking of tablets, natural immunity supplements, in general, are a great way to give you another weapon in the fight against winter illnesses. They can work to seamlessly complement your daily lifestyle and add a secondary layer of protection against the elements. The addition of a vitamin vitality supplement or a similar micronutrient formula with curcumin health benefits can make some hard yards in the race to achieve the best standard of health.

What About When I'm At Work?

office desk and computer to show what to do at work to prevent illness

With all the bugs flying around in the air, the workplace can become a hive of unwanted pathogens waiting to slip into your body and force you to take a sick day, so taking some extra special winter precautions at work is also excellent for maintaining your wellbeing. Keep your workspace clean, and by clean we don’t just mean tidy! Make sure you use some antibacterial spray and a wipe to go over your stuff regularly and fight off pathogens.

Shaking hands with people is one of the key physical displays of rapport, but too much of it can lead to germs spreading rapidly about the office space. You can also invest in some antibacterial gel, for regularly disinfecting your hands if contact is inevitable in your line of work. It is, however, important to remember that isolation doesn't lead to inoculation. Avoiding physical contact altogether may seem like your safest bet for outrunning the threat of infection, but your natural immunity is created by exposing yourself to the threat.

How Do I Relax?

man and woman at a bar to show how to relax to safe yourself from illness

Keeping yourself safe from illness isn't just a target that you hit by keeping your body healthy, you should also turn the necessary attention towards your mind, and in particular stress. The holiday planning, hustle and bustle, and mounting pressure can often make the Winter one of the most stressful times of the year, and stress is one of the signature causes of illness.

When you aren't soothing your body with nutritious food and drinks, you should be looking at how to relax your mind. Don’t overwork yourself, make lots of social plans with friends and family, and take the time you need to relax. All of these things can help ensure that you have the body to tackle illness, and a mind to match.

Anything I Can Do Emotionally?

man and woman about to kiss withough touchinng to stop spread of germs

Last and by no means least, there are a couple of things you can do that go beyond just routine. Earlier we discussed the importance of keeping yourself open and not avoiding physical contact in the hopes that you might prevent the transmission of germs altogether, and the same goes especially for if you're in a relationship. Kissing is a loving mark of affection, but it can also be a couples’ weapon against the winter as it can allow both people to build a natural tolerance to germs and better ward off sickness.

You can also take action emotionally personally, have you ever heard of the phrase ‘self fulfilling prophecy’? It means when you believe in something so much that it happens because your brain starts willing itself to see the results of its prediction. If you’re the kind of person who says to themselves ‘oh no I am going to get ill’, stop now! Go into the Winter months with total optimism and you might find you come out the other side feeling even better!

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