Cold and flu prevention made easy
There's a cold season. And a flu season. But these pesky sicknesses linger year-round really, which means we must consistently fight them off and work at staying healthy. Here's how.1. Wash your hands often, like at least five times a day.
2. Wash your hands twice when you wash them -- if you're serious about fending off colds, anyway.
3. Use your knuckle to rub your eyes. The eye is the perfect entry point for germs and knuckles are less likely to be contaminated with viruses than fingertips.
4. Run your toothbrush through the microwave on high for 10 seconds to sterilize it. And replace it every month when you change the page on your calendar and after you've had a cold.
5. Leave the windows in your house open a crack in winter. Fresh air does wonders for chasing out germs.
6. Lower the heat in your house five degrees. Lowering the temperature and using a room humidifier helps maintain a healthier level of humidity in the winter.
7. Scrub under your fingernails every night. They're a great hiding place for germs.
8. Sneeze and cough into your arm or a tissue. Coughing and sneezing into a hand puts germs right where you can spread them to objects and other people. Switch to the crook of your elbow instead.
For an extra helping of sickness-fighting strategies, take a look at this Reader's Digest article.
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