Easy Ways to Not Get Sick This Season

Every time the seasons change, it seems half the population gets sick, myself included. I’m working on a nice whooping cough right now and sound like I’ve been smoking Marlboro Reds since the day I was born.  Whatever your immune system might be, there’s still a strong likelihood you’re gonna be out of commission a day or two.  With health care being exorbitantly expensive,  no one wants to make the trip to the doctor for the average cold.  There are those who swear by Emergen-C  and Airborne, but to me those things are the equivalent of dosing myself with pixie sticks and hoping for the best. Obviously I’m no Doogie Howser M.D,  but there are a few precautions you can take to avoid catching the bug this season.

Eat At Home

According to the recent study “Serving While Sick”, more than 60 percent of  people who work at restaurants go to work sick rather than miss a day of unpaid work. The majority have no health care so it’s not worth it for them to stay home. It’s one thing to ride public transit with a bunch of sick people, but it’s quite another to have sick people handling your food and utensils. Not to sound like a germaphobe, obviously everyone is exposed to all kinds of viruses and bacteria as soon as they enter a public space, but adding food to the mix sounds like a (pardon my pun) recipe for disaster. If you want to move beyond your repertoire of rice and beans, check out The Art of Eating In, for some great inspiration and tips.

Stay Dry

I’m a big believer of old wives tales, although I’ve never rubbed garlic on anything and thank god haven’t plucked any dark hairs from strange places, but the whole business about getting sick after being stuck in the rain rings true every time.  After being stuck on a double-decker tour bus in a hail storm, my friend showed up for work the next day with a crazy cold. Cause and effect people. With most of the country experiencing freak tornadoes and monsoons, now’s the time to start stocking up on umbrellas. That means one at work, one at home, and maybe a compact one to keep in a bag. I probably go through 10 a year, so avoid those cheap ones they sell on the sidewalk on rainy days. They may have had very little knowledge on contraceptive methods, but those grannies know a thing or two about staying in good health.

Avoid Children

Sorry to gross you out this early in the day, but this is what a real snotty kid looks like. This step is going to be harder to pull off, say, if you have children or work in a child-related industry. But, if you do random babysitting jobs on the side or have lots of friends with kids or nieces/nephews, you might want to keep your distance for the next couple weeks. Now that school is back in session, all those germ-sharing, partially developed immune system-having kids are huddled into one space and swapping sicknesses like silly bandz. They wipe their nose, than grab anything they can get their hands on, and voila everyone gets sick at the same time. If you happen to be riding the subway with an entire class on the train, move cars and bring your Purell with you. Around the end of October, you can think about rubbing elbows with little ones again. Kooties are no joke my friends.

R&R

It’s such a simple goal we all strive for: a little rest and relaxation, but it does make a huge difference when it comes to avoiding flu season and the like. Now that summer is officially over, people start to go into hibernation mode but that doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have a good time, it’s all about moderation. I always get sick after going on a bender all weekend, so it’s about going out some nights and taking it easy on others.  Drink water like it’s going out of style and if you wanna try the vitamin thing, get the gummy ones that taste like candy. Studies show that kids who ate like 5 Flintstone vitamins a day growing up either never got sick or got type 2 diabetes. It’s time to choose your own adventure.