Healthy Living Tips
Posted on January 19, 2012
We are in the middle of flu season and whether or not you received a flu shot this year (there is still time for a shot to be effective by the way) it’s important to remember there are additional things you can do to prevent getting the flu. We’ve all heard about coughing in your sleeve, washing your hands, and getting enough rest. Here are a few other tips to remember this flu season.
- Watch the handshakes and hugs. No need to be rude to people, but close contact with infected folks is the easiest way to catch a virus. If you are in a situation where handshakes and hugs are a must-do, don’t touch your eyes or mouth until you can wash your hands.
- Exercising is good; however, over exercising, especially if you haven’t been to the gym for a while, can leave your body struggling to cope with physical stress and not able to fight off an infection. An exercise program can help you fight off infections if it’s done correctly. Remember to hydrate, get enough rest, and eat well if you’re starting an exercise program.
- Watch the hand sanitizer. For a hand sanitizer to be effective, it should contain 60%-95% alcohol, ethanol or isopropanol. However hand sanitizers should be used when soap and water aren’t available. Hand sanitizers shouldn’t replace washing hands with soap and water.
- Speaking of hand washing, to really kill germs, hands need to be washed for 20 seconds to really kill germs. Hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice while washing and you’ll know you’ve done it correctly.
For more tips to help you get through the flu season, talk to your Kerr Drug pharmacist or visit www.kerrdrug.com
