Going through our daily lives, many of us set goals to achieve – both short & long term. On a practical level, though, a lot of those “short term goals” are just things that need to happen for our day to be productive. It could be as simple as feeding and bathing our kids, getting our needed work tasks accomplished, or checking the Allwell app to see your personalized exercise & nutrition goals for the day.
All of that planning – in a New York minute – can be wiped out if you’re sick with a cold or flu strain. Your energy to get things done is sapped. If you have kids relying on you, hopefully you can muster the energy to get them squared away (or ideally, have a healthy partner that can pick up some of the slack for a few days).
So, how do we avoid getting sick in the first place? Here are a few practical tips:
- Get vaccinated for the flu. Most health insurance policies cover this annual shot. If yours doesn’t, flu shots are typically $25-30 and can be obtained at your local drug store around mid-September of each year. The vaccination includes protection against most major strains of influenza that are “popular” in a given year.
- Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets when people infected cough, sneeze or talk. So, keep a safe distance from people you suspect may be sick. If you suspect you may have a cold or the flu, keep a tissue handy to shield others.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. I feel as though living through 2+ years of Covid made us all more conscious of this.
- Make sure your workplace or school has an adequate supply of tissues, soap, paper towels, alcohol-based hand rubs, and disposable wipes.
- Consider antiviral drugs. We say “consider” because the pros & cons of drugs – largely available over-the-counter – have been debated by experts. The need for them may also be influenced by how susceptible one is to catching the flu. This article from Medical News Today1 contains a balanced breakdown of both sides of the antiviral drug argument.
Finally, a lot of this is common sense, but practice good hygiene. This includes cleaning & disinfecting surfaces commonly touched at home, work or school, especially if you suspect someone may be sick. Also, the general lifestyle practices we promote in the Allwell community all are effective in helping prevent the Common Cold or Flu. For example: get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods.
– Johnny Premier, COO of Allwell
Footnotes
1 Medical News Today, “How To Avoid Catching the Flu” – https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321005#antiviral-drugs
