Staying Healthy During Flu Season

It's that time of year again, cold and flu season! In fact, I'm a little surprised because I usually get really sick with pneumonia every fall. 

 

And it hasn't hit yet. KNOCK ON WOOD!!! 

When I get really sick (thanks to asthma), I can't sing, let alone talk. I can't get enough air in to talk, so I just whisper. One year, I was sick with pneumonia on my birthday. I couldn't get enough air out to blow out my candles. I just looked at them as they were burning and thought "this is so sad, guess I'll just watch them burn." 

 

Hubby took pity on me and blew out my birthday candles for me. But to make matters worse, I couldn't taste my cake either, so it was really a bad birthday!

So, how do you stay healthy?

Do you get the flu shot? There's a crazy debate going on right now with some of my Facebook friends. Yikes!

How careful are you about washing your hands? 

 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a whole page about hand washing. Are you thinking, "how hard can it be?!" The CDC says you should lather up your hands for at least 20 seconds. 

 

Do you wash your hands for that long? It's how long it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice (in your head of course, you don't want everyone thinking you are crazy!)

 

 CDC also recommends washing your hands:  

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage

Don't touch your face, eyes, nose or mouth. 

 

That allows germs to get into your body. I look a little strange, but I always use a scarf, sleeve of my shirt, or jacket to scratch my nose. I stick my thumb in one side of my shirt, and bend over so I can use my clothes to scratch my nose, chin, whatever else is itching. It looks weird, but at least I don't touch my face that way. 

Many people think "Well, I don't touch my face that often", but you can do an experiment. You can put glitter on your hands, and then check to see how much of it ends up on your face. That will show you how many time you touch your face. 

 

We've done that in my kid's school classes when they were younger. It's also interesting to see that you can't wash the glitter off your hands with just water. Have the kids try it. 

 

It will only come off if you wash your hands with soap and water.

Does anyone have anything that they use to stay healthy? My friend swears that eating hot salsa will knock out her cold (and everyone around her that smells her onions and garlic breath!)

I would be interested to hear what other people use. 

 

 Until then, keep washing your hands, and don't touch your face!!